At the Turn

Razorbacks are making the turn at the 2011 NCAA Central Regional

The No. 11 Arkansas Razorbacks are in the thick of it at the 2011 NCAA Women’s Golf Central Regional at Warren Golf Course in South Bend, Ind. Arkansas, and the rest of the field, endured a 1:15 frost delay and cool temps in the morning. The wind picked up as the players teed off and the first nine (holes 10-18 for the Razorbacks) were tough.

Sophomore Victoria Vela is playing in the five spot and made the turn first. Vela, a Mansfield, Texas, native turned at plus-seven with a 43. Vela opened well with back-to-back pars on 10 and 11 but picked up bogies on 12 and 13. She tallied her third bogey on 17 and doubled 18. The final two holes have some water in play and also skirt an environmentally sensitive area that was expected to challenge players.

Redshirt freshman Emma Lavy is in the four spot for Arkansas and made the turn next. The Fayetteville native struggled in the first six holes with four bogies and a double. She posted a par on the 210-yard, par three 14th hole. Lavy settled in with a par on 14 and on 16 but like Vela, she doubled the par four 455-yard 18 making the turn at plus-nine.

Senior Corinna Rees is in the three spot for Arkansas and turned plus-one through the first nine. Rees opened with a bogey on 10 and picked up another stroke on 12 but she got it back with a birdie – the first for the Razorbacks all day – on 13. Rees next counted a par on 14 – all three Razorbacks had to that point – and bogeyed 15. Rees rallied with a birdied on the tough 18 shooting 37 through her first nine.

Senior Kelli Shean also played pretty well through her first nine holes of the day. Shean was two-over with three consecutive bogies on 13, 14 and 15 but she too rallied on 18 with a birdie.

Finally freshman Emily Tubert was the final Razorback to get through nine holes. Tubert turned plus-four with a 40. She struggled to open and had doubles on 10 and 12. Tubert added a bogey on 15 but got the team’s only birdie on the par five 17th.

Arkansas is at the halfway mark with a 14-over score trailing early leader and second-ranked UCLA who is plus-one through nine holes. SEC-comrade No. 8 LSU is currently in an early second-place at plus-six followed by No. 5 Duke at plus-seven through nine holes. The Razorbacks are tied with No. 15 Wake Forest and two back of No. 17 Texas, both of whom they are playing with.