Feb. 10, 2009
RIO GRANDE, Puerto Rico - The 15th-ranked women's golf team claimed its first victory of the 2009 championship season with a first place finish at the 2009 Lady Puerto Rico Classic on Tuesday. Senior Maria Hernandez tied for medalist honors and led a Boilermaker team that landed four individual golfers in the top-10.
Purdue, which began the final round with a 10-stroke lead, used a third round 296 (+8) to finish the 54-hole event 19-strokes ahead of second place Tennessee (909, +45), giving them their first victory at the Lady Puerto Classic in seven years of playing host.
Medalist winner Hernandez fired a one-over-par 73 in her final round for a three-round total 219 (+3), tying her with Indiana's Laura Nochta. Hernandez opened the event with a 75 (+3) and leaped into a tie for first after a second round 71 (-1). This was Hernandez's second consecutive victory in the 2008-09 season. She won the Lady Northern Invitational on Nov. 18-19, 2008.
Sophomore Maude-Aimee Leblanc landed in a tie for fourth place (221, +5), just two strokes behind Hernandez. Leblanc carded a 73 (+1) in her final two rounds, coupled with an opening round 75 (+3).
In her first event as a Boilermaker, redshirt freshman Thea Hoffmeister posted a 223 (+7), placing her in a tie for seventh. Hoffmeister began the tournament slow, firing a 77 (+5) in her opening round but used a team-tying-low 71 (-1) on Monday and a 75 (+3) in her final round on Tuesday to finish in a three-way tie for seventh.
Sophomore Junthima Gulyanamitta rounded out the fourth Boilermaker in the top-10, firing a 225 (+9), placing her in a tie for 10th place with TCU's Valentine Derrey. Gulyanamitta posted an opening round 77 (+5), a one-over-par 73 in her second round and a finished with a 75 (+3).
Freshman Vaishavi Sinha (+32, 85-79-84=248) finished in a tie for 83rd.
Behind first place Purdue (888, +24) was: Tennessee (909, +45),Georgia (910, +46),N.C. State (910, +46),TCU (916, +52),Kent State (921, +57),New Mexico State (923, +59),Florida State (928, +64),Northwestern (930, +66),Minnesota (933, +69),Oklahoma (935, +71),Michigan (935, +71),Iowa State (936, +72),Indiana (937, +73),Texas Tech (942, +78) and Wisconsin (948, +84).
The 54-hole tournament was played on the par-72, 6,219-yard Coco Beach Golf Course in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico.
The Lady Boilermakers will be back in action Feb. 16-17 when they travel to Parrish, Fla. to compete at the Central District Challenge.