Michigan
Central District Classic
Strong Final Round Vaults Wolverines to Top-Five Finish
2/20/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
PARRISH, Fla. -- With an even-par round of 72 from senior Brianna Broderick (Richmond, Mo./Richmond HS) and one-over 73s from freshmen Ashley Bauer (Grand Blanc, Mich./Grand Blanc HS) and Andrea Ratigan (Tucson, Ariz./Sabino HS), the University of Michigan women's golf team posted a final team round total of 294 Tuesday (Feb. 20) to vault the Wolverines to a fifth place finish in the highly competitive field at the Central District Classic.
The Maize and Blue opened the 54-hole tournament at the River Wilderness Country Club with a first round 306, following with a 308 in the second round to stand in 10th place overall after the first day of competition. With a second best team total of 294 in the final round, the Wolverines were able jump five spots in the standings and garner a top-five finish among the 14-team field, which included 12 top-50 programs.
For the fifth time this season, Broderick, who tied for 15th individually, paced Michigan, closing the tournament as the top player among the Wolverines. After opening with a three-over 75 in the first round, Broderick carded a 79 in the second round, leaving her in a tie for 29th after the first day.
In the final round, Broderick started on the 11th hole; she played spectacular golf early, standing at one-under through her first 11 holes. A double-bogey on No. 4, followed with a bogey on No. 5, pushed her to two-over par with four holes to go. Broderick rallied with birdies on the par 5 No. 8 and the closing No. 10, lowering her round back to even to finish with a 226 total and a tie for 15th place.
Bauer, who earned the third top-20 finish of her career, tied for 18th individually with a 227 54-hole tournament total. After opening with a two-over 74, she dropped back in the second round, posting an 80. In the final round, she birdied her third hole of the round to quickly go one-under par before bogeys on 14 and 16 pushed her to one-over. Bauer parred her final 12 holes to give her a one-over 73 tally.
Ratigan, who tied for 36th individually, opened with an 80 in the first round, before scoring back-to-back career-best single round totals. In the second round, she rallied from her opening round to post a then-career-best three-over 75. She lowered that by two strokes in the final round with a career-best one-over 73, moving up the leader board to finish among the top 40.
After bogeying her second hole of the final round on No. 15, Ratigan quickly erased it with a birdie on No. 16. She pushed her round back to one-over after a bogey on No. 18, but played the front side even par with nine straight pars. After making the turn and opening with a bogey on No. 10, she played one-under golf on her closing five holes to post the career-best round, giving her a 231 total for the tournament.
Other Wolverine finishes included: Senior Ali Stinson (Penticton, British Columbia/Penticton Secondary), tied for 36th with a 231 total (80-75-76), and junior Lindsay Davis (Dexter, Mich./Dexter HS), tied for 42nd with a 232 total (77-79-76).
First day leader Texas A&M was able to use a final round 287 to hold onto the lead and pull away for a 13-stroke victory, as the Aggie's posted an 874 54-hole total (291-296-287). Host Michigan State (296-297-294) was the runner-up at 887, while Baylor (302-307-296) closed in third with a 905 total. In addition to the team title, Texas A&M's Ashley Knoll led from start to finish, claiming medalist honors with a seven-under 209 total (67-73-69). Michigan State's Sara Brown (71-70-74) was the runner-up at one-under 215.
The Wolverines will take a few weeks off to prep for their next tournament when they head to Sedona, Ariz., Saturday and Sunday, March 3-4, for the Red Rocks Invitational. The 54-hole tournament will take place at the Oak Creek Country Club.
Team Standings
1. Texas A&M 291-296-287 = 874 2. Michigan State 296-297-294 = 887 3. Baylor 302-307-296 = 905 4. TCU 311-301-294 = 906 5. MICHIGAN 306-308-294 = 908 6. Louisiana State 310-298-301 = 909 7. Arkansas 308-303-303 = 914 Northwestern 304-306-304 = 914 9. Texas 295-312-313 = 920 10. Notre Dame 309-303-310 = 922 11. Missouri 308-309-310 = 927 12. Southern Methodist 321-306-313 = 940 13. Nebraska 320-316-310 = 946 14. Tulsa 313-313-322 = 948
Top Individuals
1. Ashley Knoll, Texas A&M 67-73-69 = 209 2. Sara Brown, Michigan State 71-70-74 = 215 3. Gemma Webster, Ohio State 73-74-69 = 216* 4. Allison Martin, Baylor 71-76-70 = 217 5. Kate Ackerson, Southern Methodist 74-71-75 = 220 6. Camille Blackerby, TCU 78-72-72 = 222 Emma Jandel, Ohio State 76-74-72 = 222* Rebecca Kuhn, Louisiana State 76-75-71 = 222 Mandi McConnell, Michigan State 76-78-68 = 222 Danielle McVeigh, Texas A&M 77-72-73 = 222 11. Lauren Johnson, Texas A&M 73-75-75 = 223
* played as an individual
Michigan Individual Scores
T15. Brianna Broderick 75-79-72 = 226 T18. Ashley Bauer 74-80-73 = 227 T36. Andrea Ratigan 83-75-73 = 231 T36. Ali Stinson 80-75-76 = 231 T42. Lindsay Davis 77-79-76 = 232
Contact: Tom Wywrot (734) 763-4423
Players Mentioned
