March 10, 2008
Sorrento, Fla. (www.ucfathletics.com) - Top-ranked Duke vaulted to the top of the leaderboard thanks to a second-round score of 282 (-6) at the UCF Challenge To Benefit Florida Children's Hospital on Monday at RedTail Golf Club. Trailing fourth-ranked Southern California by a stroke entering the day, a trio of Blue Devils all finished under par to help the defending champions build an eight-shot lead (564, -12) on the remainder of the 18-team field.
Duke sophomore Alison Whitaker held onto her lead in the race for medalist honors through 36 holes by shooting a 71 (-1) on the 6,301-yard layout. Duke junior Amanda Blumenherst, the defending champion from the 2007 Challenge, carded a 68 (-4) and is one shot shy of Whitaker with a two-round total of 137 (-7). Blumenherst's classmate Jennie Lee also helped the Blue Devils' cause with a 69 (-3) in round two.
"We were just talking as a team and the one thing that I can say about our team is we are a smart golf team," Duke head coach Dan Brooks said. "We have had different winds each day out here and I think the reason we played well today is they figured out the golf course."
Whitaker broke the women's competitive course record in round one with a 65 (-7) and has a two-day total of 136 (-8). Whitaker is two shots clear of a threesome of golfers tied for third at 136 (-6).
One of those golfers is Purdue freshman Junthima Gulyanamitta, who posted the low score of the day with a 66 (-6). She led the field in round two with seven birdies.
UCF junior Stephanie Connelly (Pasadena, Md.) led the Knights with an even-par round of 72. The hosts posted a score of 299 (+11) and with their two-day total of 591 (+15) are in a 12th-place tie with Tennessee entering the final round. Sophomore Leigh Crosby (Athens, Ga.) added a 73 (+1) to her opening round 72 and is tied for 21st to lead the Knights on the individual standings. Connelly is tied for 28th.
Fifth-ranked Florida improved nine shots from its opening round to move into the top five by posting a 283 (-5) in round two. The Gators are tied for third with first-round leader Southern California at 595 (-1). The Gators were led by senior Tiffany Chudy, who fired a 66 (-4) after a 75 (+3) in her opening round.
UCLA (579, +1) rounds out the top five as its top player Tiffany Joh is in sixth overall after carding a 69 (-3). Her two-round total is 139 (-5).
Live scoring for the three-day event is available on www.golfstat.com.
Team Leaderboard (Round Two)1 Duke 282-282 = 564 (-12)2 Purdue 289-283 = 572 (-4)3 Florida 292-283 = 575 (-1) Southern California 281-294 = 575 (-1)5 UCLA 286-291 = 577 (+1)
Individual Leaderboard (Round Two)1 Allison Whitaker (Duke) 65-71 = 136 (-8)2 Amanda Blumenherst (Duke) 69-68 = 137 (-7)3 Pernilla Lindberg (Oklahoma State) 67-71 = 138 (-6) Garrett Phillips (Georgia) 69-69 = 138 (-6) Junthima Gulyanamitta (Purdue) 72-66 = 138 (-6)
UCF Players (Round Two)T21 Leigh Crosby 72-73 = 145 (+1)T28 Stephanie Connelly 74-72 = 146 (+2)T42 May Tomimbang 73-75 = 148 (+4)T74 Jessy Tang 73-80 = 153 (+9)85 Victoria Tomko 79-79 = 158 (+14)T88 *Katie Detlefsen 81-84 = 165 (+21)T91 *Sara Hurwitch 82-83 = 165 (+21)* playing as individuals
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