April 19, 2003
LEXINGTON, Ky. – At the end of two rounds of action from the Southeastern Conference Women’s Golf Championship, hosted by the University Club of Kentucky, the Tennessee Lady Volunteers and Florida Lady Gators are tied for first place at 16-over-par. The tournament’s individual medal also is being hotly contested, with South Carolina senior Kristy McPherson leading Tennessee freshman Violeta Retamoza by one stroke after Saturday’s play.
“I thought we played steady today,” UF Coach Jill Briles-Hinton said. “We had to adjust to play to a different wind condition than yesterday. Each and every golfer on this team needs to go as low as they can go tomorrow, thinking and positioning the ball at every hole.”
“It was a tough day today as we had to count a nine on the second hole and a double bogey on the 18th.” UT Coach Judi Pavon said. “To be tied with Florida at this point is good.
Florida (296-296–592) turned in the lowest total of the day, an eight-over-par 296 to match their score from Friday and pull into a tie with Tennessee (291-301–592), who shot plus-13 on the day after leading the round one. Auburn (299-297–596) stands in third place, merely four shots out after a second day total of 297. Florida, Tennessee and Auburn are scheduled to begin their final rounds Sunday on the first hole at 9:50 a.m.
South Carolina (295-308–603), Vanderbilt (306-301–607) and Georgia (299-311–610) take up spots four through six and will be the first teams to tee off from hole No. 1, on Sunday at 9 a.m. ET. Arkansas (297-316–613), Kentucky (309-311–620) and Mississippi State (317-311–628) will begin the final round on the tenth hole, teeing off at 9:50 a.m. ET. Ole Miss (319-322–641), Alabama (318-329–647) and Louisiana State (324-326–650) will open the back nine at 9 a.m. ET.
Florida, Auburn and Vanderbilt each have four golfers in the tournament’s top 20, while Tennessee and South Carolina have been powered by their top scorers. McPherson, the tournament’s two-time defending medalist, was named the 2003 SEC Golfer of the Year on Friday, while Retamoza garnered the league’s Freshman of the Year honors. Vanderbilt’s Martha Freitag was honored as SEC Coach of the Year.
Florida’s Aimee Cho is the nearest threat to the top two competitors. Cho shot one-over on Saturday after playing at even-par on Friday. Three golfers currently are tied for fourth at two-over-par.
McPherson and Retamoza were the only golfers who played below par on Saturday, as the scoring average rose nearly a point in windy conditions. The par-3 eighth hole, which features an island green, was the most problematic during the day, playing nearly a stroke over par.
Four of the 12 teams in the field shot better on Saturday than they had on Friday, yet only a pair of teams were able to break 300 during the second round. Saturday’s clear skies and temperatures in the mid-70’s made the course play faster than on the previous day.
Only 18 holes remain in the 54-hole tournament, played on the par-72, 6,153-yard “Big Blue” championship course, with the final round scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. ET on Sunday, April 20, on holes No. 1 and No. 10.
Agate:
Teams
T1. Florida +16 296-296-592
T1. Tennessee +16 291-301-592
3. Auburn +20 299-297-596
4. South Carolina +27 295-308-603
5. Vanderbilt +31 306-301-607
6. Georgia +34 299-311-610
7. Arkansas +37 297-316-613
8. Kentucky +44 309-311-620
9. Mississippi +52 317-311-628
10. Mississippi State +65 319-322-641
11. Alabama +71 318-329-647
12. Louisiana State +74 324-326-650
Individuals (Top 20 of 60)
1. Kristy McPherson, South Carolina -5 68-71–139
2. Violeta Retamoza, Tennessee -4 70-70–140
3. Aimee Cho, Florida +1 72-73–145
T4. Sofie Andersson, Mississippi St. +2 73-73–146
T4. Lina Axelsson, Arkansas +2 70-76–146
T4. Mary Jan Fernandez, Tennessee +2 71-75–146
7. Amanda Dick, Florida +3 75-72–147
T8. Danielle Downey, Auburn +4 74-74–148
T8. Kelly Froelich, Georgia +4 71-77–148
T8. Maria Martinez, Auburn +4 76-72–148
T11. Jeanne Cho, Florida +5 73-76–149
T11. Jessica Shepley, Tennessee+5 71-78–149
T11. Celeste Troche, Auburn +5 75-74–149
T14. Adrienne Gautreaux, South Carolina +6 73-77–150
T14. Courtney Wood, Vanderbilt +6 75-75–150
16. Diana Ramage, Auburn +7 74-77–151
T17. Nicki Cutler, Vanderbilt +8 79-73–152
T17. Sarah Jacobs, Vanderbilt +8 76-76–152
T17. Brittany Straza, Florida +8 77-75–152
T20. Melissa Murray, Arkansas +9 79-74–153
T20. Lisa Tyler, Georgia +9 75-78–153
T20. May Wood, Vanderbilt +9 76-77–153
