Golfers take first national championship

By staff and wire reports
Arizona Daily Wildcat
June 5, 1996

The Associated Press
Arizona Daily Wildcat

Marisa Baena trys to chip onto the 17th green during the second day of the NCAA Women's Golf Championship in La Quinta, Calif.

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With the chance to become the best team in the country on the line, the Arizona women's golf team called on its best golfer with the hopes that she would turn in the best shot of the day.

What freshman Maria Baena did, however, was turn in the shot of a liftime.

In the midst of a one-hole playoff for the NCAA Championship against San Jose State, the Wildcats needed a big shot. Baena responded by nailing a 147-yard 7-iron into the cup for an eagle 2 on the 18th at La Quinta, Calif. When Spartan golfer Vibeke Stensrue missed a 5-foot put, the championship went to Arizona for the first time ever.

Baena won the individual title by seven strokes. She went into the final day tied with Kellie Booth of Arizona State. But while Baena shot a 1-over par 73, Booth faltered, shooting an 80. Baena finished with a four-round total 296.

Baena, along with teammates Heather Graff, Krissie Register, Christina Tolerton and Jeane Anne Krizman, had a four-day total of 1240. Individually, Graff finished sixth with a 306 while Register (310) tied for 13th.

It is the second national championship for Arizona head coach Rick LaRose, who guided the Wildcat men to the title in 1992. LaRose began coaching both squads after former coach Kim Haddow left Arizona to become head coach at Florida in January 1995. The Gators finished ninth this year. The victory by Arizona also broke a three-year streak by Arizona State.

It should also be said that Arizona accomplished an NCAA title with two freshmen and a sophomore on its roster.

"Our future looks bright with all these kids back," LaRose said. "This can be the beginning of something big."

On the men's side, Rory Sabbatini made a bid to become the men's individual champion on the final day of tournament play on Saturday but came up four strokes shy of Stanford's Tiger Woods. Woods went into the final day with a nine-stroke lead but stumbled to a final round 80 leaving the door open for Sabbatini. But Sabbatini himself had a tough final day shooting a 75.

As a team, the Wildcats jumped six spots in the final two days of competition to finish fifth. Arizona State took the team title.

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