CU Women Golfers Take Third At Clover Cup

MESA, Ariz. – Senior Jenny Coleman tied for second, but the University of Colorado women's golf team wasn't able to hold onto its lead at the Clover Cup, finishing the tournament in third place.

The Buffaloes were in the lead through the first two rounds, but a tough third round put them five strokes behind the top honor. CU placed two golfers in the top 15, finishing 19 over par 893 (292-297-304) at the par 72, 6,209-yard Longbow Golf Club. The third place finish is the Buffs' best of the spring, and their best finish since their runner-up showing to begin the season at the Ptarmigan Ram Fall Classic.

“We struggled today, and it was just kind of odd because it seemed like everybody just a little off,” CU head coach Anne Kelly said. “They were hitting good shots, but just couldn't get any putts to drop. We have no excuses because the weather was perfect and the course conditions were perfect. We just didn't finish very well today unfortunately.

I think overall, it's a good learning experience for the team. We've got our seniors, Jenny and Kristin (Coleman), but we have a freshman and two sophomores that have never been in that position really before, so it's good experience for them. Hopefully we'll learn from it and do better next time.”

The top three was a close finish, with first place Louisville taking the title by a single stroke over runner-up Notre Dame. The No. 38 Louisville Cardinals steadily found their way to the top, jumping one spot every day, to take the team title with a 24-over par 888 (299-292-297) scorecard. Close behind was the 44th ranked host team Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish shot 25-over par 889 (299-296-294).

After two days in the lead, the Buffs finish third, with a four stroke lead over the teams tied for fourth – Mississippi and Michigan. After spending the first two rounds at sixth, Mississippi broke into the top four to tie Michigan with 32-over par 896s.

Holding the top spot after the second round, senior Jenny Coleman remained in contention to finish tied for second. Coleman shot 2-under par 214 (69-70-75). The third round was her only one over par, with Coleman making four bogeys on the final day. The par-4, 364-yard No. 4 was a challenge for Coleman, seeing her bogey on the hole in the final two rounds. Coleman had one birdie in the final round, moving her career total to a program-best 299.

“Her ball striking was really so much better than it has been in the first two tournaments,” Kelly said. “She didn't play badly today, she just couldn't really get anything at all to drop putting wise. I'm really proud of her. She really competed hard, and it's unfortunate she didn't win, but a tie for second is definitely a very good finish. She deserves it because she works really hard. I'm excited for her upcoming tournaments. I think she'll take some confidence away from this event and be ready to go for the last two tournaments we have this spring.”

For the second time in as many tournaments, sophomore Alexis Keating finished in the top 20. Coming off her first top-20 finish last week at the Bruin Wave Invitational, Keating continued to excel, tying for 12th at the Clover Cup. Keating got her first top 15 performance behind a 71-76-75—222 (6-over par) scorecard. Keating went over par on six holes in the final round, but also made four birdies. Keating made birdies on the par-5 Nos. 15 and 18 in both the first and third rounds.

Competing in her fourth collegiate tournament, freshman Natalie Vivaldi tied for 23rd at 10-over par 226 (77-72-77). After an even par performance in the second round helped push her into the top 20, Vivaldi matched her first round performance of 5-over par 77 to close the tournament. Vivaldi made a double bogey in each round, but also had at least two birdies in each. She had two birdies in the final round, including one on the par-5, 492-yard No. 18 that she had bogeys on in the first two rounds.

Sophomore Jamie Oleksiew tied for 45th at 16-over par 232 (76-79-77). Though she had four birdies in her final round, she was set back by three bogeys and two double bogeys. Kristin Coleman finished with a 76-80-78—234 scorecard to tie for 54th. Coleman had seven bogeys in the final round, including one on the challenging No. 18 that she went over par on in each round. Competing as an individual, freshman Claudia Davis remained at 84th with a 36-over par 252.

Notre Dame's Kristina Nhim returned to the top spot in the final day, taking the individual prize with a 3-under par 213 (68-72-73). Just two other golfers finished under par, with Michigan's Grace Choi tying Jenny Coleman for second place with a 2-under par 214. UNLV's Dana Finkelstein (Golfstat's 15th ranked player) jumped from seventh to finish fourth at 2-over par 218. Louisville's Emily Haas rounded out the top five with a 3-over par 219.

Next up, the Buffs take their second trip of the season to Hawaii. Colorado travels to Kapalua, Hawaii for the Anuenue Spring Break Challenge from March 24 through 26.

BUFFALOES INDIVIDUAL
t-2.	Jenny Coleman	69-70-75—214
t-12.	Alexis Keating	71-76-75—222
t-23.	Natalie Vivaldi	77-72-77—226
t-45.	Jamie Oleksiew	76-79-77—232
t-54.	Kristin Coleman	77-80-78—234

TOP 5 INDIVIDUALS
1.	Kristina Nhim, Notre Dame	68-72-73—213
t-2.	Grace Choi, Michigan	69-71-74—214
t-2.	Jenny Coleman, Colorado	69-70-75—214
4.	Dana Finkelstein, UNLV	76-70-72—218
5.	Emily Haas, Louisville	71-72-76—219

TEAM STANDINGS
1.	Louisville	299-292-297—888
2.	Notre Dame	299-296-294—889
3.	Colorado	292-297-304—893
t-4.	Mississippi	304-298-294—896
t-4.	Michigan	298-300-298—896
6.	UNLV	307-297-294—898
7.	East Carolina	305-296-301—902
8.	Nebraska	300-310-293—903
9.	Kennesaw State	304-299-308—911
t-10.	Florida International	307-306-304—917
t-10.	Cincinnati	311-304-302—917
t-12.	Tulsa	306-304-312—922
t-12.	Maryland	310-300-312—922
14.	New Mexico State	312-303-309—924
15.	St. John's	309-305-320—934

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Players Mentioned

Jenny Coleman

Kristin Coleman

Claudia Davis

Alexis Keating

Jamie Oleksiew

Natalie Vivaldi

Colorado University Athletics