Women's Golf preview: Stanford Intercollegiate
Oct. 15, 2008 UP NEXT: The Texas Women's Golf team will travel to Stanford, Calif., on Oct. 17-19 (Friday-Sunday) for the Stanford Intercollegiate. The 54-hole tournament is hosted by Stanford University and will be held at the 6,117-yard, par-71 Stanford Golf Course. The teams will play 18 holes each day, with the first and second rounds beginning at 10:30 a.m. Central time and the final round being contested at 9:30 a.m. Sunday morning. LIVE SCORING: Fans can follow the Longhorns in action at the Stanford Intercollegiate with live scoring. TEXAS LINEUP: Second-year head coach Martha Richards will send the following lineup to the Stanford Intercollegiate: seniors Caney Hines (San Antonio, Texas), Kelley Louth (Victoria, Texas) and Kristin Walla (Aspen, Colo.), junior Shannon Fish (Spring, Texas) and freshman Nicole Vandermade (Brantford, Ontario). THE FIELD: The Longhorns face their toughest competition of the fall season at this week's Stanford Intercollegiate, as the 16-team field features five top-10 teams and seven more ranked among the top-35 in the latest Golfweek national ratings (Oct. 13): Stanford (19), Arizona (31), Arkansas (24), California (18), Duke (9), New Mexico, Oklahoma State (5), Oregon (27), Oregon State, Pepperdine (14), USC (1), UCLA (3), UNLV, Vanderbilt (6), and Washington (25).
IMPRESSIVE DEBUT: Freshman Nicole Vandermade was again the top individual for the Longhorns at the Windy City Collegiate Classic. The Brantford, Ontario, native fired a 12-over-par 228 (78-74-76) to finish just outside the top-20 at 21st place, and leads Texas with a 74.17 scoring average. Previously, Vandermade began her collegiate career with a tie for fourth place at the Dick McGuire Invitational, where she was one of just six players at the tourney to finish under par with a 2-under 217 (72-72-73). Her performance marked the fifth top-five individual effort by a UT player under the direction of head coach Martha Richards. SENIOR MOMENT: Senior Caney Hines was the lone Longhorn to card an even-par round on the challenging Evanston Golf Club at the Windy City Collegiate Classic. Hines rebounded from a 9-over-par 81 in the opening round with Texas' best round in Skokie, Ill. The three-year letterwinner from San Antonio finished tied for 28th with a 15-over 231 (81-72-78). WHO RETURNS: Texas returns three starters from last season's squad which advanced to the NCAA Championship. Seniors Caney Hines and Kristin Walla along with junior Shannon Fish will lead the Longhorns again this year. Senior Kelley Louth, who missed last season with an injured wrist, is back for a fifth year after being granted a medical hardship waiver. SUCCESSFUL SUMMER: Seniors Kristin Walla and Kelley Louth along with junior Shannon Fish each had solid individual performances over the summer. Walla defeated five-time Colorado stroke play champion Janet Moore to claim medalist honors at the Colorado Match Play Championship. Fish and Louth were two of the 64 players who advanced to match play at the 108th U.S. Women's Amateur Championship. Louth chipped a 10-foot birdie on her final hole of stroke play to earn the final qualifying spot. 2008 RECAP: Martha Richards is in her second season at the helm of the Texas women's golf program and her 10th season as a collegiate head coach. In her first year in Austin, Richards led The University of Texas women's golf program from a national ranking of No. 85 in the spring prior to her arrival to a tie for 17th place at the 2008 NCAA Championship. The Horns made their first NCAA Championship appearance since 2004 and recorded their best effort at the Big 12 Championship since 2005 with a third-place showing. |
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