W-Golf Finishes Sixth At Mountain View

Saturday, March 26

Tucson, Ariz.

All Day

Colorado

All Rounds

Photo by: CUBuffs.com

March 27, 2005 | Women's Golf

By: CUBuffs.com

TUCSON ? In perfect conditions, the University of Colorado's Hannah Hoch shot a better than perfect round season low 3-under 69 to go from 13th after Saturday's second round to finish seventh with a 54-hole 215 as the Buffs finished with a share for sixth place in their own satellite Mountain View Collegiate here Sunday. It was Hoch's sixth top-10 finish of the season, ninth of her undergraduate career.

“Regionally, we beat Boise State and San Jose State, and that's good. We need to carry that momentum into next weekend,” said head coach Anne Kelly.

After firing a then-tournament record second round low 68 Saturday, Louisville's Meghan Little shot par on Sunday to hold on to medalist honors with a three-round 7-under 209. Little finished a pair of strokes ahead of Northwestern's Ina Kim, who bettered Little's tournament low 68 by a stroke, firing a final loop 67 to improve from sixth to runner-up with a 54-hole 211, tied with Idaho's Cassie Castleman. Hoch finished just six strokes shy of the win, tying a career low 215.

Like Little, Northwestern continued to maintain its lead in the 15-team annual, in part to a tournament record low third round 287 for a final team score of 870, a comfortable 10 strokes ahead of Idaho (880) which placed two players in the top five to contribute to the Vandals' climb from fifth to runner-up. Eight strokes separated the second through sixth positions, as the Buffs, and Nebraska, were tied for sixth with a three-round 888. Defending champion Denver shaved five strokes off its second to third round, but didn't make up enough ground to get out of the basement, finishing 15th^.

“Hannah definitely played a great ground, and Ally (Allison Rella) followed with a solid round of her own,” complimented Kelly. “All in all, it was a pretty solid tournament. Jessie Malcom progressed, Jess Ellis is getting close and (Lindsay) Koth, as an individual, is showing signs of improvement. A lot of good things happened this weekend.”

Rella followed suit, as the senior's three round total 221 to finish 21st ties a career low and is her best 54-hole effort since matching that mark in 2002 at the Oregon State Shanico Invitational as a sophomore. After leading the Buffs following the second round, Maria Persson-Gulda lost six strokes from the second to third round, and carded a final loop 78 to finish with a share of 32nd.

Jessie Malcolm rounded out CU's scorecard with a final round 77 and three round total 228 for 43rd place. Jess Ellis'79 found the sophomore finishing 64th. Playing as an individual, Lindsay Koth (82-82-76-240) finished 75th in just her second tournament of the season.

The Buffs wrap up the regular season in just eight days when they play at the annual Utah Dixie Classic at the Entrada Golf Course in St. Goerge, Utah. Kelly is hoping that the Buffs' momentum from this weekend carries over into next.

“One tournament down, one to go,” said Kelly of her NCAA bubble team. “We knew going into the last two tournaments that we needed to play solid golf. We'll get back to school, get caught up, regroup and leave again Saturday. After that, we'll start thinking about the Big 12 Championships.”

MOUNTAIN VIEW COLLEGIATE

Mountain View Golf Course (Tucson, Ariz.)

TEAM SCORES

1. Northwestern............ 291-292-287- 870

2. Idaho........................ 299-292-290- 880

3. Missouri................... 294-291-296- 881

4. Colorado State.......... 295-293-294- 882

5. Iowa State................ 291-295-298- 884

6. COLORADO............. 299-292-297- 888

6. Nebraska.................. 301-299-288- 888

8. San Jose State......... 294-300-297- 891

9. Kansas.................... 297-299-296- 892