Post-Round Notes - Day 2
May 22, 2002
Oklahoma's Lisa Meldrum fired a five-under 67 on Friday, breaking the course record of 68 set first by Arizona's Lorena Ochoa at September's NCAA Preview, and equaled yesterday by Duke's Virada Nirapathpongporn. The round was Meldrum's first under 70 this season, and was a 12-stroke improvement over her opening-round 79. Meldrum has shot 67 once before, during the 2001 season.
Meldrum's big round helped Oklahoma move from ninth into a tie for third with a one-over 289. The round was the Sooners' best of the 2001-02 season, and marks just the fourth time all spring that Oklahoma has carded a round under 295. Interestingly, the other three rounds came in succession, leading Oklahoma to a victory at the Susie Maxwell Burning Classic in April.
Georgia's Summer Sirmons capped a career-best round with birdies on 17 and 18 to finish with a four-under 68 and move into a tie for the lead at seven-under with Duke's Virada Nirapathpongporn. Yesterday, Sirmons equaled her previous career-best with a three-under 69. The junior did not break 70 at any of her first nine tournaments of the 2001-02 season, but has done so three times in her last four rounds, including a second-round 69 at the NCAA East Regional.
Trailing Duke's Virada Nirapathpongporn by three strokes with five holes to go, Sirmons holed out a 7-iron from 143 yards to post one of four eagles by tournament golfers on the day. The shot bounced once, then rolled up a ridge and into the cup. Sirmons played the front nine even-par before making three birdies, an eagle and a bogey in the final nine holes.
Sirmons is joined atop the leaderboard by Duke's Virada Nirapathpongporn, who followed up a four-under 68 with a three-under 69. While the scores are similar, the rounds were anything but. Nirapathpongporn's first-round 68 featured four birdies and no bogeys, as the Blue Devils' sophomore hit 17 fairways in regulation. Friday's round featured six birdies -including four in the final eight holes - but three front-nine bogeys. After playing the first seven holes two-over par to drop back to two under for the tournament, Nirapathpongporn played the last 11 holes five-under. In two days of competition, the sophomore is seven-under on Washington National's front nine, and just even-par on the back.
Nirapathpongporn isn't the only golfer struggling to figure out Washington National's tricky back nine. For the second-consecutive day, the 10th hole averaged scores above par, with a 4.54 average score Friday that was the highest (relative to par) on the course. No team struggled more on 10 than Tulsa, which went five-over-par on the hole to start its round, then played the rest of the course just four-over par. Statistically, in fact, Friday's four most difficult holes - and five of the top six - were on the back nine. Three of Friday's four lowest-scoring teams began their rounds on the front nine.
In an opposite twist, after playing holes 10 through 18 10-over-par on Tuesday, No. 11 Florida went just one-over par in the same stretch Friday, helping the Gators hang on to fifth place in the overall standings.
Tied at seven-under through two rounds, both Summer Sirmons and Virada Nirapathpongporn are on pace to threaten the all-time NCAA Championships record of 12-under set by Miami (Fla.)'s Penny Hammel (284 strokes, par-74) in 1983. The two are also on pace for the scoring record of 279 established by USC's Jennifer Rosales in 1998.
Texas, which fired a 17-over-par 305 to open the tournament Tuesday, equaled a school-record Wednesday with a two-under 286, vaulting 13 spots into a tie for sixth overall. The Longhorns' Lisa Ferrero equaled a career-best round with a three-under 69, while Janice Olivencia backed up a day-one 70 with a one-under-par 71, placing her in a tie for fourth overall.
Seventh-ranked Arizona, which opened a nine-shot lead on Tuesday, fell back to the pack Wednesday with an eight-over-par 296. On Thursday, the Wildcats scored just one round over par to open their commanding lead, but gave it back Friday with four over-par rounds. The lone low scorer was 2001 NCGA Player of the Year Lorena Ochoa, who carded a three-under 69 to move to four-under for the tournament, three strokes behind leader Virada Nirapathpongporn of Duke.
Lorena Ochoa's round of 69 continued a remarkable sub-par streak. The Arizona sophomore, who set an NCAA record with wins in seven-consecutive tournaments this season, has finished under par in 24 of her last 28 rounds, including both rounds at this week's NCAA Championships. In six career NCAA Championships rounds, Ochoa has gone under par five times, including two rounds of 69.
Baylor's Melanie Hagewood, the first Bears' women's golfer ever to compete at the NCAA Championships, notched a 69 on Friday to move into a four-way tie for fourth at three-under. Prior to this season, Hagewood had never posted a sub-70 round in three seasons of competition.
