Vandermade has rough time with ‘tricky’ greens
Vandermade has rough time with ‘tricky’ greens
Written By ED O'LEARY, EXPOSITOR STAFF
Nicole Vandermade fired her second consecutive 1-under 72 Friday for the University of Texas Longhorns in the Dick McGuire Invitational at the University of New Mexico Championship Course No. 2 in Albuquerque. Although the 18-year-old graduate of Assumption College finished the day tied for third with a 36-hole total of 2-under 144, Vandermade wasn't happy with her score. "I was happy with the way I played because I hit 17 greens in regulation (numbers), but I definitely wasn't happy with the way I putted," said Vandermade, a member of Canada's national development team. "I gave myself so many birdie chances but I couldn't get them in." Vandermade's round included four birdies and three bogeys.
Her performance pleased Longhorns' coach Martha Richards. "I knew she was coming off a good summer, so I'm not surprised at all," Richards said. "She hasn't played her best golf yet. I think she's capable of even more." Richards said that the greens at the University of New Mexico Championship Course No. 2 are much more difficult than they appear. "They look easy but they're difficult to putt," Richards said. "They're tricky. She can't beat herself up too much."
Vandermade begins today's final round of the 54-hole tournament three shots behind 36-hole leader Jodi Ewart from the University of New Mexico, who shot 72-69 for 141. Pepperdine University's Jayvie Agojo, the first-round leader, was second at 71-71 for 142.
The local golfer was tied with Emily Childs (75-69) from the University of Colorado and Natasha Krishna (74-70) from the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, better known as UNLV. Vandermade's Longhorns were tied for fourth place with Colorado State in the team standings. Pepperdine and New Mexico shared top spot.
Her opening round Thursday was much more up and down than her Friday round, during which she recorded six birdies, three bogeys and one double bogey. "I was happy with the result but I knew it could have been a lot better," Vandermade said after her first competitive round in collegiate golf. "Almost all of the par 5s here are reachable for me, so the course suits my game real well." Vandermade birdied all five of the course's par 5s Thursday and three of the five on Friday.
One thing Vandermade is sure about is her decision to attend Texas on a golf scholarship. "The town (Austin) suits me perfectly and the girls on the team have been awesome," Vandermade said. "It's been an easy transition. I love it here. I love everything about Texas."
