If a round of golf were just nine holes, the UA women’s golf team would be settling in at the top of the leader board.
Unfortunately for Arizona, 18 holes are required and the back nine hurt the Wildcats as they dropped to a tie for 13th place with Texas in the second round of the Mercedes-Benz of Bend Women’s Fall Preview in Bend, Ore.
“The back nine is not treating us too well,” Wildcat head coach Greg Allen said.
Duke and Washington are tied atop the leader board, with Arizona State alone at third after the best team score of the day.
Big numbers are also hurting the Wildcats, as they played their inward nine with a triple bogey and double bogey on the scorecard.
Junior Whitney Welch made a birdie on the 12th hole to move to even par, but played the next four holes six over par and finished with a 77.
Allen blames the speed of the greens for the troubles Arizona has faced this week on the Meadows Golf Course at Sunriver Resort.
“These greens are so hard and fast, they aren’t holding anything,” he said. “If you’re above the hole, it is tough to two-putt.”
The coach said the team is playing the golf course smart, but that Arizona just isn’t getting any breaks on the greens.
“We’re trying to play smart and hit the ball on the front and let it roll back, they are just so firm that nothing is holding.” Allen said.
Junior Cassandra Kirkland again led the team for the second straight day with a round of 74, one that included an even-par back nine.
“I am pretty disappointed about my score,” Kirkland said. “I am hitting the ball pretty well and my putting is great, I just had a bad hole on number 8.”
Kirkland’s trouble was a double bogey on the par 3, where she hit the wrong club, landing her in a bunker behind the green that cost her two shots.
She is currently in a tie for 25th place with four other golfers and is the only Arizona golfer in the top 40.
“Cassandra is playing good,” Allen said. “The double hurt her and she’s had some silly bogeys but she’s playing good.”
Allen said that right now the team is without a player consistently shooting par or better golf, but feels that by working hard in the fall, the entire team can come around in the spring when it really counts.
“All these girls are capable of shooting under par at any given time, we just want them all doing it at the same time come April and May.”
“We might take our lumps early in the season but we will continue to get better,” he said.
Consistency was again produced from seniors Mar Garcia, Mariam Kraschinski and junior Lani Elston who all posted rounds of 5-over 76 in the second round.
Arizona’s final-round action gets underway today at 8 a.m at the par-71 Sunriver Resort’s Meadows Golf Course.