University of Georgia Athletics
Georgia Moves To 14th At NCAA Women's Golf
May 21, 2009 | Women's Golf
OWINGS MILL, Md. --- The Georgia women's golf team's steady improvement and ascent on the team leaderboard at the NCAA Championships continued on Thursday. The Bulldogs fired a 13-over 301 to climb to 14th overall.
Georgia cut nine strokes from the first to second round and trimmed another six shots from that tally on Thursday. In the process, the Bulldogs have moved from 21st to 18th to 14th entering Friday's final round at the Caves Valley Golf Club.
"I'm pleased and encouraged," head coach Kelley Hester said. "I was a little worried about fatigue. We had the last tee time yesterday and left the course around 7:30. We were back there this morning for a 7:30 tee time today. Twelve hours is not a lot of turnaround time, but I think it's a credit to their conditioning that they were able to come out and play what was our best golf of the tournament and what I would venture to day might be the best golf we've played all spring. The numbers may not look that way, but they really are solid considering how difficult this golf course is playing."
Carolina Andrade carded a 1-under 71, Georgia's best round of the tournament, to pace the Bulldogs. Freshman Tess Fordham chipped in a 2-over 74, her best relation-to-par mark of the season. Georgia also counted a 76 from Marta Silva Zamora and an 80 from Mallory Hetzel, while dropping Leigh Crosby's 87.
"I was very pleased that Carolina, who has struggled some at this tournament, and Tess, who has been up and down for us, were our two best scores today," Hester said. "I don't think it's likely that Marta will struggle two days in a row, but she fought and really played well until giving up two shots late. Mal, who has been outstanding for us all spring, was pretty solid until she lost some shots late, too."
Andrade mixed seven pars with a birdie at No. 3 and a bogey at No. 8 to turn at even. After a bogey at No. 12, she responded with consecutive birdies at No. 13 and No. 14 to reach red numbers and stayed there with a quartet or pars en route to the clubhouse.
Fordham turned at 3-over but then played the back nine at 1-under.
The Bulldogs were on the verge of a much better score before slipping late. Georgia was 5-over through 15 but dropped eight strokes on the last three holes.
"We were really right there and on pace to maybe post the best round of anybody today until we lost those strokes late," Hester said.
Through 54 holes, Silva Zamora is tied for 15th at 223, Andrade is tied for 57th at 232, Hetzel is tied for 64th at 233, Fordham is tied for 111th at 244 and Crosby is 123rd at 254.
Southern Cal surged past UCLA to take the team lead. The Women of Troy posted a 293 and own a two-shot lead. Jennifer Song led USC with a 2-under 70 to grab a three-shot edge on the individual leaderboard over both Maria Hernandez of Purdue and Maria Jose Uribe of UCLA.
The Bulldogs will be paired with Wake Forest and Michigan State on Friday, teeing off beginning at 8:20 a.m. from No. 1. Hole-by-hole scoring updates can be found here.
Georgia cut nine strokes from the first to second round and trimmed another six shots from that tally on Thursday. In the process, the Bulldogs have moved from 21st to 18th to 14th entering Friday's final round at the Caves Valley Golf Club.
"I'm pleased and encouraged," head coach Kelley Hester said. "I was a little worried about fatigue. We had the last tee time yesterday and left the course around 7:30. We were back there this morning for a 7:30 tee time today. Twelve hours is not a lot of turnaround time, but I think it's a credit to their conditioning that they were able to come out and play what was our best golf of the tournament and what I would venture to day might be the best golf we've played all spring. The numbers may not look that way, but they really are solid considering how difficult this golf course is playing."
Carolina Andrade carded a 1-under 71, Georgia's best round of the tournament, to pace the Bulldogs. Freshman Tess Fordham chipped in a 2-over 74, her best relation-to-par mark of the season. Georgia also counted a 76 from Marta Silva Zamora and an 80 from Mallory Hetzel, while dropping Leigh Crosby's 87.
"I was very pleased that Carolina, who has struggled some at this tournament, and Tess, who has been up and down for us, were our two best scores today," Hester said. "I don't think it's likely that Marta will struggle two days in a row, but she fought and really played well until giving up two shots late. Mal, who has been outstanding for us all spring, was pretty solid until she lost some shots late, too."
Andrade mixed seven pars with a birdie at No. 3 and a bogey at No. 8 to turn at even. After a bogey at No. 12, she responded with consecutive birdies at No. 13 and No. 14 to reach red numbers and stayed there with a quartet or pars en route to the clubhouse.
Fordham turned at 3-over but then played the back nine at 1-under.
The Bulldogs were on the verge of a much better score before slipping late. Georgia was 5-over through 15 but dropped eight strokes on the last three holes.
"We were really right there and on pace to maybe post the best round of anybody today until we lost those strokes late," Hester said.
Through 54 holes, Silva Zamora is tied for 15th at 223, Andrade is tied for 57th at 232, Hetzel is tied for 64th at 233, Fordham is tied for 111th at 244 and Crosby is 123rd at 254.
Southern Cal surged past UCLA to take the team lead. The Women of Troy posted a 293 and own a two-shot lead. Jennifer Song led USC with a 2-under 70 to grab a three-shot edge on the individual leaderboard over both Maria Hernandez of Purdue and Maria Jose Uribe of UCLA.
The Bulldogs will be paired with Wake Forest and Michigan State on Friday, teeing off beginning at 8:20 a.m. from No. 1. Hole-by-hole scoring updates can be found here.
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