April 4, 2009
TEMPE, Ariz. - The ninth-ranked Purdue women's golf team will begin the final round of the 2009 Ping/ASU Invitational in second place, five strokes behind leader Arizona State. Senior Maria Hernandez is in second place and two strokes off the pace with a three-round score of 141 (-3).
The Boilermakers began Saturday's play with a one-stroke lead over the Sun Devils, but slipped back into second place after carding a team score of 297 (+9) on Saturday. Purdue has a 36-hole score of 590 (+14) and a two stroke lead over third place Oklahoma State.
After shooting even-par in her first round, Hernandez knocked in six birdies in her second round to finish with a second round score three-under par 69. The two-time first team All-American trails USC's Lizette Salas by two strokes and will tee off at 11:22 a.m. ET tomorrow.
Sophomore Thea Hoffmeister sits in a tie for 17th with a 36-hole score of 150 (+6). The Berlin, Germany, native opened the event with a two-over par 74, followed by a 76 (+4) in her second round.
One stroke behind Hoffmeister is sophomore Junthima Gulyanamitta (151, +7). The Muang Rayong, Thailand, native carded a second round score of 78 (+6) to go along with her opening round score of one-over par 73.
Sophomore Maude-Aimee LeBlanc climbed 32 spots among the individuals on Saturday and sits in a tie for 35th with a two-round score of 153 (+9). The Sherbrooke, Quebec, native began Saturday in 67th place after carding an opening round score of 79 (+7). LeBlanc used a birdie on the final hole of the day to finish with a second-round score of 74 (+2).
Freshman Vaishavi Sinha is in a tie for 54th with a two-round score of 156 (+10).
The Boilermakers, at two strokes back of top-ranked Arizona State and are leading three of the top-five teams in the latest Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index: Oklahoma State (592, +16), USC (593, +17) and UCLA (597, +21),
The 54-hole event is being hosted by top-ranked Arizona State at the 6,230-yard par-72 ASU Karsten Golf Course in Tempe, Ariz.
Tee times for tomorrow's final round will begin at 9:30 a.m. ET.
Live scoring for the final round will be available at golfstat.com.. Recaps and results will be posted at purduesports.com at the conclusion of the event.