May 8, 2008
AUSTIN, Texas - The sixth-ranked Purdue women's golf team is in third place after the opening round of the NCAA Central Regional in Austin, Texas. The Boilermakers shot an even-par 288 on Thursday and trail first-place and No. 1 seed UCLA by five strokes and second-place TCU by three.
Purdue was led by junior sensation Maria Hernandez who fired a 66 that included a hole-in-one on the par-three 174-yard No. 2 hole at the University of Texas Golf Club. Hernandez' six-under par 66 ties her career low round and included four birdies and no bogeys in addition to her ace. Hernandez did not shoot the best score of the day and is in second place, trailing UCLA's Maria Jose Uribe by one stroke. Uribe shot a 65, firing five birdies and an eagle.
Junior Christel Boeljon is tied for 10th after firing a 71 in the first round. Boeljon had two birdies, but a bogey on the par-four No. 18 dropped her to one-under par.
Freshman Maude-Aimee Leblanc fired a 75 and is tied for 39th, while junior Stephanie Oukeo is just one shot behind with a 76 and is tied for 47th. Freshman Junthima Gulyanamitta struggled in the opening round and is tied for 66th after carding a 78 on Thursday.
The Boilermakers begin teeing off in the second round of the NCAA Regional on hole No. 10 beginning at 2:20 p.m. ET on Friday. Live scoring of all three NCAA Regionals can be found at golfstat.com. Central Regional results and recap can be found at purduesports.com.