Friday September 28, 2001

Lorena Ochoa UA sophomore golfer

Women's golf slips to 11th in rain-shortened tourney

UA women's golf sophomore sensation Lorena Ochoa began her 2001 campaign much like she ended last season - winning.

She took home the championship Wednesday at the NCAA Fall Preview in Auburn, Wash.

Tournament officials cancelled the final round because of rain, leaving the Wildcats in 11th place with a total of 606 strokes in the 36-hole event.

Ochoa won her fifth career championship by shooting consecutive sub-par rounds, finishing with a 5-under-par 139.

The Guadalajara, Mexico, native now owns a streak of 10 straight top three tournament finishes. The sophomore finished in the top 10 in all of her collegiate tournaments.

Ochoa made the most of the miserable weather Tuesday.

"The conditions were horrible, but over all I'm pretty happy," said Ochoa, who missed only two fairways during the two-round tournament. "I played very good, and I'm hitting my drives perfect. We found out a lot about our team, and I believe in my coaches and my teammates."

Other Wildcats who figured in the scoring included junior Laura Myerscough, who finished with a two-round total of 8-over-par 152, and junior Anne Lee, who shot an 11-over-par 155.

Myerscough and Lee, both key members on last year's squad that finished second in the nation, finished tied for 41st and 64th places, respectively.

Two other golfers - the Kraschinski sisters - had a tough time in the harsh conditions.

Freshman Miriam Kraschinski shot two rounds of 8-over-par 80 and finished the tournament tied for 93rd place at 16-over-par.

Junior Julia Kraschinski, who missed the majority of the 2000-2001 season with back injuries, finished in 118th place.

"It was cold and wet and it wasn't much fun," said UA head coach Greg Allen. "Lorena was great. She should've shot even better, but they had us playing about an hour too long, and the greens had puddles of water on them.

"We didn't play good. I didn't expect us to play that way, but golf is a crazy game. We know what we have to work on."

Although disappointed with its finish, Allen remains confident his team will rebound the next time it hits the links in Auburn.

"One big positive is that this is the same course that we will play during the NCAA championships," Allen said. "Hopefully the next time we play there we'll bring home a national championship."

The Wildcats return to action Oct. 8 when they visit the Pacific Northwest for the Oregon State Invitational at Trysting Tree Golf Club, site of the Wildcats' 20-stroke victory at last season's NCAA West Regional.