University of Georgia Athletics
Silva Zamora, Burger Earn SEC Accolades
April 29, 2011 | Women's Golf
April 29, 2011
ATHENS, Ga. --- Georgia's Marta Silva Zamora, who is currently the nation's top-ranked women's collegiate golfer, was named SEC Golfer of the Year on Friday. Silva Zamora was tabbed as such in balloting of league coaches, who also named her first-team All-SEC and teammate Emilie Burger second-team All-SEC.
Silva Zamora, who was the 2009 SEC Freshman of the Year, was named first-team All-SEC for the third consecutive year, while Burger was a second-team selection for the second straight season.
Silva Zamora has notched seven top-10 individual finishes in the eight tournaments she's completed during the 2010-11 season. She ascended to the No. 1 spot in the Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index after winning the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic on April 3. A junior from Santiago de Compostela, Spain, and the reigning Spanish Amateur Champion, Silva Zamora has compiled an SEC-low 71.31 stroke average this season and is a combined 17-under over 26 rounds.
"When Marta came back to school last fall we talked about bearing down and working a little harder," head coach Kelley Hester said. "I told her that if she did that I thought she could be the best player in the county and she didn't disagree. She has worked harder this year and being SEC Player of the Year was probably one of her goals. If you're the best player in our conference, the way our league is, you're going to be one of the best players in the nation."
Silva Zamora is Georgia's league-leading eighth SEC Golfer of the Year honoree, joining Vicki Goetze in 1992 and 1993, Shauna Estes in 1997 and 2000, Reilley Rankin in 1998, Angela Jerman in 2002 and Taylor Leon in 2007.
Burger, a sophomore from Hoschton, Ga., sports a 74.19 stroke average and has recorded one top-10 and four top-20 individual finishes during 2010-11. She tied for ninth at the NCAA Fall Preview on the same layout that will host the NCAA Championships next month. Burger has notched par-or-better scores in seven of 27 rounds this season.
"Emilie has come through for us, and she's certainly been someone we can count on," Hester said. "By her standards, she probably hasn't played as well as she would've liked, but we still have tournaments to play and that could change. Emilie has very high standards for herself. I think it speaks volumes to be a second-team All-SEC player and not be satisfied. I'm sure she'll be shooting for that first team next year."
The No. 12-ranked Georgia women's golf team will return to action next Thursday when the Bulldogs open play at the NCAA West Regional in Auburn, Wash. Georgia is the No. 4 seed in the field. The schools that finish first through eighth in the 24-team field will advance to the NCAA Championships on May 18-21 at Texas A&M's Traditions Golf Club in Bryan, Texas.
