Women's Golf ties for 17th place at NCAA Championships
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Paced by senior Ashley Rollins' two-under 70, Texas moved up two spots in the final round to tie for 17th place Friday at the 2008 NCAA Women's Golf Championships at the par 72, 6,424-yard University of New Mexico Championship Golf Course.
Texas battled chilly, windy conditions once again on Friday, but the Horns produced their second-lowest round of the tournament, wrapping up the 72-hole event with a 13-over 301 in the final round to tie for 17th place alongside TCU with 1,227 strokes at 75-over par. USC captured the team title by covering the 72 holes with 1,168 strokes at 16-over par. UCLA took second at 22-over par, and Duke, the three-time defending NCAA team champion, took third at 28-over par. Purdue placed fourth at 36-over par, and Arizona State took fifth at 37-over par. Arizona State's Azahara Munoz defeated UCLA's Tiffany Joh in a one-hole playoff to win the NCAA individual title. Munoz and Joh had ended the 72-hole event tied at one-under par. Rollins (Austin, Texas/Westwood HS), who called the UNM Championship Golf Course home during her two-and-a-half seasons at the University of New Mexico, finished her collegiate career where it began, and she finished strong. Battling morning temperatures in the 40s under cloudy skies with wind gusts exceeding 30 mph, Rollins opened her round with birdies at the third, sixth and ninth holes. Rollins, who began the day tied for 44th place, played spotless golf on the back nine and added birdies at the 13th and 16th holes. She nearly eagled the par five 18th hole when her approach stopped just a foot from the pin, but she tapped in for her sixth birdie of the round to finish with a two-under 70, ending the NCAA Championship tied for 23rd place with a nine-over 297 over 72 holes. Junior Kristin Walla (Aspen, Colo./Aspen HS) followed her 75 on Thursday with another solid round on Friday, carding a four-over 76 with birdies at the ninth and 18th holes. Walla tied for 68th place with a 19-over 307. Junior Caney Hines (San Antonio, Texas/Reagan HS) joined Rollins by finishing all four of her rounds with scores in the 70s. Hines stroked a seven-over 79 in the final round and tied for 89th place with a 24-over 312. Sophomore Shannon Fish (Spring, Texas/Klein Oak HS) opened with a 43 on the front nine before rebounding nicely on the back with a 38, highlighted by one of Texas' three birdies on the day at the 18th hole. Fish tied for 100th with a 28-over 316. Senior Julia Best (Bulverde, Texas/Smithson Valley HS) closed out her Longhorn career with her finest round of the tournament, as she fired a four-over 76 with a pair of matching 38's on the front and back nines. Best tied for 105th place with a 30-over 318. NCAA Women's Golf Championships - Final Round UNM Championship Golf Course - Albuquerque, N.M. T17. TEXAS 298-319-309-301-1227 (+75) Texas Players POST-TOURNAMENT QUOTES On the impact of seniors Ashley Rollins and Julia Best: What a great job Ashley did this year for us, and we were so excited about her being a part of our family. She may have only been here one season, but she will always be a big part of the family, and she made a huge impact. Julia added a lot to our team and produced a lot of good rounds for us. She was comfortable being here at the NCAA Championship and she brought some good things to our team On next season: We've got a lot of work to be done, but the ladies coming back should be excited and confident. They know they can play with the best teams in the country, and that's not something we should take for granted. The good news is they have put the work in, they have the right attitude, and they have proven they can accomplish great things. We've got to be thinking about what we are going to do on every shot. We can't just pat ourselves on the back. We're excited, but we're not satisfied.
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