Buffs In Eighth At SEC/Pac-12 Challenge

KNOXVILLE, Tenn.—The No. 24 University of Colorado women's golf team slipped six strokes on the scorecard and four spots in the rankings and is tied for eighth here at the Holston Hills Country Club after the second round of the Mercedes-Benz SEC/Pac-12 Challenge.

This is the toughest field in which the Buffs have ever competed with eight of the top 10 teams, and 17 of the top 29, in the latest Golfstat rankings, and the Buffs are still well ahead of the pack compared to their ranking. At No. 24, the Buffs are ahead of nine teams with higher rankings and behind just two through two rounds.

No. 6 Alabama had the second best team round in the field and surged past No. 1 UCLA. The Crimson Tide hold a 5-stroke advantage over the Bruins and is the only team under par at 3-under 573. UCLA shot 9-over on the day and stands at 2-over par 578 as the two will battle it out the final day on the 6,447-yard, par 72 layout.

There is another grouping between spots three through five with No. 2 Auburn standing at 6-over par 582, followed closely by No. 27 and host Tennessee at 7-over par 583 while No. 7 Vanderbilt rounds out the top five at 10-over par 586. The Buffs are then near the top of an 11 team pack that are all within nine strokes in spots six through 16. No. 10 Southern California is sixth at 17-over par 593 with No. 36 Mississippi (19-over par 595) just two strokes ahead of the Buffs and No. 9 Washington, who are tied for the second straight day, this time in eighth at 20-over par 596. Three strokes then separate spots Nos. 10-16.

“We didn't play our best today,” CU head coach Anne Kelly said. “I blame it more on putting problems than anything. It's just a hard golf course, we just didn't play our best and when you don't putt well on a course like this, it catches up to you pretty quickly.”

Senior Emily Talley led the way for the Buffs shooting even par after she was as low as 4-under par after a birdie on No. 11. She had a double bogey on No. 15 and followed that up with a bogey and finished out the round at even par. For Talley, it marks her second round this season at or under par and her 27th career round at or under par, most in CU history.

“Emily had it going for a while,” Kelly said. “She was 4-under for a while and had a good round. She had a lot of good golf shots and putted pretty well. She had a few rough holes, but you learn from that. She looked like she was back on track, having a lot of fun out there.”

Sophomore Jenny Coleman and senior Jessica Wallace both shot 4-over par 76s in the second round and both sit tied for 52nd at 7-over par 151 through 36 holes, as does sophomore Kristin Coleman after she shot a 5-over par 77 in the second round. Wallace had 14 pars and four bogeys to get her 76.

“You can tell Jess is really close to playing well,” Kelly said. “She just has a missed shot here or a missed putt there and that turns a 70 into a 75. They're all playing well. We're ready as a team to play well tomorrow.”

Sophomore Alex Stewart, after leading the Buffs after the first round, struggled a bit and shot a 7-over par 79. She is tied for 49th one stroke ahead of her three teammates at 6-over par 150 through the second round.

The Buffs fall season concludes Sunday with the final round, slated to start at

Jess is really close to playing well, a missed shot or missed putt here or there that turns a 75 into a 70. They're all playing well, Alex struggled a little and that's rare. We're ready to play well tomorrow, there's a lot of teams really packed in there so we . It's a really good test of golf and a good field, we know we have to play well tomorrow and we'll see what happens.

BUFFALOES INDIVIDUALS
t-29.	Emily Talley	76-72—148
t-49.	Alex Stewart	71-79—150
t-52.	Jenny Coleman	75-76—151
t-52.	Kristin Coleman	74-77—151
t-52.	Jessica Wallace	75-76—151

TOP 5 INDIVIDUALS
t-1.	Nathalie Mansson, Tennessee	72-67—139
t-1.	Stephanie Meadow, Alabama	68-71—139
t-3.	Milena Savich, Georgia	73-67—140
t-3.	Lauren Stratton, Vanderbilt	68-72—140
5.	Giulia Molinaro, Arizona State	72-70—142

TEAM STANDINGS
1.	Alabama	284-289—573
2.	UCLA	281-297—578
3.	Auburn	296-286—582
4.	Tennessee	291-292—583
5.	Vanderbilt	296-290—586
6.	Southern California	298-295—593
7.	Mississippi	301-294—595
t-8.	Colorado	295-301—596
t-8.	Washington	295-301—596
t-10.	Florida	298-299—597
t-10.	Georgia	305-292—597
12.	Arizona	296-303—599
t-13.	Arizona State	300-301—601
t-13.	California	299-302—601
t-13.	Oregon	301-300—601
16.	LSU	307-295—602
17.	Arkansas	303-303—606
18.	Stanford	300-308—608
19.	Oregon State	313-300—613
t-20.	South Carolina	310-305—615
t-20.	Kentucky	312-303—615
22.	Washington State	312-309—621
23.	Mississippi State	317-310—627

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Players Mentioned

Jenny Coleman

Kristin Coleman

Alex Stewart

Emily Talley

Jessica Wallace