Lewis grabs second place on last hole of the day

Jump to results DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — University of Arkansas junior Stacy Lewis remains near the top of the leader board after second round action at the 2007 NCAA Championship in Daytona Beach, Fla., Wednesday. Lewis fired a second-round 71 for a 142 (71-71) and is in sole possession of second overall on the par 72, 6,351-yard Legends Course at LPGA International Golf Club. Lewis pulled out the magic on her final hole, birding number nine, a par-four, 356-yard hole, moving to one-under on the day. The 18-foot birdie putt broke a four-way tie for second moving Lewis into second, just one stroke out of the lead. "It was tough today with the wind," said Arkansas head coach Kelley Hester. "It wasn’t a consistent wind and it was swirling all day. You kinda had to guess a bit out there. Despite the wind, Stacy played flawlessly. She made it look easy out there today." "The back side plays harder with the wind," said Lewis. "It’s exposed more. I hit the ball well on the front nine and I got up and down from all over the place on the back nine. It was a good balance." Lewis is ranked 14th in the most recent Golfstat player rankings and is hanging tough on top along with top-ranked Amanda Blumenherst of Duke (70-73=143), 20th-ranked Tiffany Joh of UCLA (73-70=143) and No. 34 Catherine Matranga of TCU (72-71=143). Purdue’s Christel Boejion, ranked 29th, leads the field with a three-under 141 (72-69). Lewis began her day in the late afternoon as the winds picked up and tormented much of the field. She opened on the back nine on number 10, a par-four, 358-yard hole and took a bogey after missing a putt. Lewis evened her score on the par-three 16th-hole with a two after blasting her tee shot onto the green and making her short put. Lewis remained even through the turn but picked up a stroke on the first tee, carding a five on the par-four. She birdied the same hole in the first round. "Both of Stacy’s bogies were three-putts," said Hester. "Hole one had a back right hole location and the greens were fast. I thought she hit the perfect shot and the ball seemed to stop just short of the hole but then it kept going – about six feet beyond. But she rebounded well and didn’t let it get to her." "Stacy didn’t miss any greens on the back nine," said Hester. "Her wedge game was outstanding." Playing at one-over didn’t last long as Lewis played the par-three third hole perfectly for a birdie again evening her score. The team competition is lead by top-ranked Duke who fired a one-under 287 for a 587 (300-287). The defending national champions have a seven-stroke lead on No. 8 UCLA (303-291=594). Twelfth-ranked Purdue is third (303-294=597), followed by No. 10 Stanford (299-300=599), No. 7 Southern California (295-306=601), No. 3 Georgia (303-299=602) and No. 31 Louisville (297-306-603) rounding out the top seven teams. Play continues for Lewis and the rest of the field Thursday and Friday. For more information about Lewis and Lady Razorback golf, please log on to LADYBACKS.COM.