Michigan State University
Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge @ Palos Verdes C.C.
No. 19 Spartans Finish 11th At The Northrop Grumman
2/14/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
Feb. 14, 2007
PALOS VERDES, Calif. - Senior Heather Rose (Chillicothe, Ohio/Chillicothe) finished in a team-best tie for 20th with a three-day score of 226, helping the No. 19 Michigan State women's golf team finish in 11th out of 15 teams at the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge at Palos Verdes Country Club on Wednesday afternoon. Rose, thanks to birdies on two of her final four holes, tied for a team-tournament-best 2-over-par round to seal up the Spartans' highest finish at the event.
Rose, who played a 6-over-par on the back nine on Tuesday, finished at 3-over-par on the back half on Wednesday, but followed that with her best front nine of the tournament, finishing 1-under-par on the final nine holes, thanks to consecutive birdies on the par-4, 319-yard No. 6 and the par-5, 502-yard No. 7.
The Spartans, with a three-day score of 933, finished ahead of 24th-ranked Ohio State and 20th-ranked Florida State at the tournament while nine teams in the Top 25 finished ahead of Michigan State, including No. 9 Pepperdine, which wrapped up the team title with a score of 882. Individual medalist honors went to Pepperdine's Misun Cho, who had a 54-hole total of 5-over-par 218.
"I think it was a good starting point. We know that we are one of the best teams in the country, but we have to go back to the drawing board a little bit," head coach Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll said. "That's the fun part about this program, we're always searching for a way to get better."
Junior Sara Brown (Tucson, Ariz./Salpointe Catholic), after firing two rounds of 78 to start the tournament, used three birdies to counter five bogeys as she also finished with a 2-over-par 73, helping her move up from a tie for 29th to 30th with her three day score of 229. Brown scored her first birdie of the day on the par-5, 450-yard No. 16 after starting on hole 11. She continued her success on par 5 holes with a birdie on the 475-yard No. 5, stopping a 2-over-par skid on the previous three holes. She also notched a three on the 340-yard, par-4 No. 9.
"As the days go on, we just hope they get more into the groove and get used to competing," Slobodnik-Stoll said. "Some great things happened today. We had some great shots and a lot of birdies. We had two great scores but we still need two more."
Sophomore Holly Niederkohr (Marysville, Ohio/Marysville) finished out her first travel tournament this year in a tie for 59th place after she finished with a final round of 79, giving her a three-round score of 240. Although she had two double-bogeys, Niederkohr mixed in three birdies. She played the back nine well for the third straight day, as her birdies on the 350-yard, par-4 No. 11 and 399-yard, par-4 No. 14 helped her finish 2-over-par on the back. She also posted a birdie on No. 7, helping her finish 6-over-par on the front nine.
Senior Mandi McConnell (Grand Blanc, Mich./Grand Blanc) finished in a tie for 51st place after she posted a three-round total of 238. McConnell finished Wednesday with an 81, scoring a birdie on the par-4, 250-yard No. 12. Junior Jordyn Wells (Bethel Park, Pa./Bethel Park) also finished with an 81 in her last round of the tournament, scoring a birdie on No. 12. Wells finished in a tie for 76th, as the last round was her tournament best.
The Spartans are now set to host the Central District Invitational at River Wilderness Country Club in Parrish, Fla., with the first 36 holes of the 54-hole tournament set to start on Monday.
Players Mentioned
