Colorado University Athletics
Colorado
Round One
Buffs Leading After First Day Of Clover Cup
March 14, 2014 | Women's Golf
MESA, Ariz. – The University of Colorado women's golf team began the Clover Cup with one of its best performances of the season, leading the 15 team field after Friday's first round. Led by two Buffaloes in the top five, CU shot 4-over par 292 at the par 72, 6,209-yard Longbow Golf Club.
“We did pretty well today,” CU head coach Anne Kelly said. “The course was pretty challenging. It was windy and dry, so the greens got pretty firm and they dried out. Jenny (Coleman) and Alexis (Keating) really handled the conditions well and played two really solid rounds of golf.”
Colorado holds a six stroke lead over second place Michigan, who has a 10-over par 298 scorecard. Host Notre Dame is tied for third with Louisville with 11-over par 299s. Nebraska rounds out the top five at 12-over par 300.
Senior Jenny Coleman leads the Buffs with a second-place individual standing after the first round. Coleman shot 3-under par 69, her best performance of the young spring season, and just her second under par performance of 2014. Despite stumbling with a bogey on the par-3, 158-yard No. 11, Coleman shot an even par or better on every other hole. With four birdies on the day, including on the par-5 No. 9, Coleman further extends her program record with 294 birdies in her career.
“She made a couple of adjustments to her swing,” Kelly said of Coleman's improvement. “She's a great ball striker, and she just struggled a little bit with that in the first two tournaments. She really kind of got back on track with her swing, and her ball striking was definitely more like typical Jenny. She's probably one of the best drivers of the golf ball that I've seen in college golf. She really was hitting it much better, and just managed her game very well today.”
After recording her first ever top-20 finish at last week's Bruin Wave Invitational, sophomore Alexis Keating continues her strong showing. At 1-under par 71, Keating is tied for fifth. She started the day strong, making a birdie on the par-5, 522-yard No. 1, but had three bogeys down the stretch of her front nine. Keating had no trouble making up for these set-backs on her back nine, going par or better on each of her final holes, including birdies on three of her final four.
“Her confidence is growing,” Kelly said of Keating. “She had a very good finish today, which I was very happy to see. She birdied 15, parred 16 and birdied 17 and 18. That's great. I'm happy for her.”
Senior Kristin Coleman and sophomore Jamie Oleksiew are both tied for 19th with 4-over par 76s. Coleman also started the day with a birdie on the No. 1, but struggled on Nos. 4, 5 and 7, shooting over par on each. Coleman made two more bogeys on her back nine, but also had another birdie, this time on the par-4 No. 14. Though Oleksiew aggravated a prior wrist injury in the last tournament, she seemed to be back in full form at the Clover Cup. She recovered from a double bogey on the par-4, 364-yard No. 4 with a birdie on the par-5 No. 9. Oleksiew went par or better on 14 holes.
Freshman Natalie Vivaldi, competing in her fourth collegiate tournament, is tied for 33rd with a 5-over par 77 scorecard. Vivaldi had an up-and-down day, shooting over par on eight holes, but making four birdies, all on par 4s and a par 5. Competing as an individual, classmate Claudia Davis is in 86th with a 15-over par 87.
Colorado and Louisville each have two individuals in the top five. Notre Dame's Kristina Nhim leads the pack after shooting 4-under par 68. Colorado's Jenny Coleman and Michigan's Grace Choi are tied for second with 3-under par 69s. Katie Petrino of Louisville is in fourth with a 2-under par 70. CU's Alexis Keating and Louisville's Emily Haas round out the top five with 1-under par 71s.
“The other girls were really close, they just maybe didn't make their puts or had a few mistakes that cost them,” Kelly said. “I think ball striking wise, they're all hitting it really well. It will be fun to see what happens in the rest of the week.”
CU looks to hold onto its lead with two more 18-hole rounds remaining in the Clover Cup. A champion will be named on Sunday.
| BUFFALOES INDIVIDUALS | ||
| t-2. | Jenny Coleman | 69 |
| t-5. | Alexis Keating | 71 |
| t-19. | Kristin Coleman | 76 |
| t-19. | Jamie Oleksiew | 76 |
| t-33. | Natalie Vivaldi | 77 |
| TOP 5 INDIVIDUALS | ||
| 1. | Kristina Nhim, Notre Dame | 68 |
| t-2. | Grace Choi, Michigan | 69 |
| t-2. | Jenny Coleman, Colorado | 69 |
| 4. | Katie Petrino, Louisville | 70 |
| t-5. | Alexis Keating, Colorado | 71 |
| t-5. | Emily Haas, Louisville | 71 |
| TEAM STANDINGS | ||
| 1. | Colorado | 292 |
| 2. | Michigan | 298 |
| t-3. | Notre Dame | 299 |
| t-3. | Louisville | 299 |
| 5. | Nebraska | 300 |
| t-6. | Mississippi | 304 |
| t-6. | Kennesaw State | 304 |
| 8. | East Carolina | 305 |
| 9. | Tulsa | 306 |
| t-10. | Florida International | 307 |
| t-10. | UNLV | 307 |
| 12. | St. John's | 309 |
| 13. | Maryland | 310 |
| 14 | Cincinnati | 311 |
| 15. | New Mexico State | 312 |
