UA, Register lead Pac-10s

By Jacinda Sweet
Arizona Daily Wildcat
April 23, 1996

Benjamin W. Biewer
Arizona Daily Wildcat

Heather Graff follows a putt on the 18th hole yesterday. Graff's 70 helped UA to a first-round lead at the Pac-10 Championships.

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Arizona's Krissy Register shot a 3-under-par 69 yesterday to take a one-shot lead after the first day of the 1996 Pacific 10 Conference Championships.

With the weather just right, and with No. 5 Arizona playing in Tucson at the par 72, 6,002-yard Raven Golf Club, Arizona finished the day with the team lead. UA's 287 was six shots better than second-place ASU at 293. The third-ranked Sun Devils have won the last three Pac-10 titles.

No. 9 Stanford stands in third with 297 and is followed by Washington State at 301. No. 1 UCLA rounded out the top five with 302.

Individually, UA's Heather Graff and the Cardinal's Mhairi McKay finished tied for second at 70.

"I just think I played it one shot at a time," Graff said. "It really wasn't until the 16th hole that I realized I was 2-under par. I think I played really steady today."

Freshman Maria Baena came in seventh place with a 72, which made Arizona one of two teams (ASU was the other) to have three players in the top 10. Earlier this year, the Wildcats only had consistent performances from Baena and Graff, but with Register playing so well, all that has changed.

"It is great when you have three women you can count on," said UA golf assistant coach Tom Brill.

"The field is really good, so I'm happy we are winning, and I hope we can pull it out," Baena said. "The back nine is really tough, and it will be tougher tomorrow because of the wind."

Arizona is searching for its second Pac-10 title after winning it in 1992, the same year UA finished runner-up for the NCAA Championship.

Register, a freshman, finished second at the Lady Buckeye Invitational two weeks ago and has recorded five top-10 finishes on the season.

"She has been playing really well the last few weeks, and her short game is really good," Baena said of Register.

Graff is no stranger to good scores in big tournaments. The sophomore was last year's Pac-10 runner-up on her way to being named Honorable Mention All-American .

"The success of this team centers around her," Brill said. "In the last three tournaments of 1995, the Pac-10s, and the NCAAs, she just elevated her game. Heather really plays big in big tournaments."

The Wildcats are also getting good putting from sophomore Christina Tolerton (76) and senior Jeanne Anne Krizman (77), who came in at 17th and 18th, respectively.

No. 12 Southern Cal is sixth at 311, one stroke ahead of Oregon. Washington State (319), Oregon State (320) and Cal (330) round out the field.

"The coaches said to keep up the good work," Graff said. "They were real happy with us, but there are two days left."

The second round will begin today with the first tee times starting at 12:00 p.m.

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