May 22, 2009
Final NCAA Championships Results 
OWINGS MILLS, Md. - Purdue senior Maria Hernandez shot a one-under par 71 on Friday to win Purdue's first individual NCAA Championship in women's golf. The three-time Big Ten Player of the Year finished at 289 (74-72-72-71, +1) and led her team to a 10th place finish at the 2009 NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championships in Owings Mills, Md.
"I don't think I believe it right now," Hernandez said. "It was just kind of surprising really. I knew today that I had to go all out. I had a really rough start, but I've been playing good golf the entire week. I finished pretty well today, but that putt for birdie on 18 I thought was right there, but it didn't go in. I'm lucky."
The ninth-ranked Boilermakers saved the best for last, recording a 298 in the final round which gave them a four-day total of 1216 (306-301-311-298, +64). Top-ranked Arizona State won the team title with a team score of 1,182 (+30). No. 2 UCLA finished second (1,190, +38) and Southern California was third (1,191, +39). The four-day, 72-hole tournament was held at the par-72, 6,443-yard Caves Valley Golf Course.
Hernandez came into the tournament as the No. 7-ranked player in women's college golf but having won or tied for first in five tournaments this season, was considered a top candidate for national player of the year. The two-time Big Ten Championships medalist solidified her resume with collegiate golf's ultimate prize, the NCAA individual title.
Hernandez finished one-over par for the tournament with a four-round total of 289, just one stroke ahead of Southern California freshman Jennifer Song. Hernandez had a seven-foot putt for birdie on her finishing hole, No. 9, but went just right of the cup. The tap-in gave Hernandez a 71, her lowest round of the tournament. She trailed Song by one stroke but USC's top player still had four holes to play. Song held the lead coming into No. 18, but her approach shot went in the front bunker and she three-putted to give Hernandez the victory.
"When they told me that I was one shot behind after finishing on 18, I was crushed," Hernandez said. "Being one shot behind, I saw Song go in the bunker and it plugged. I never thought she would make double-bogey.
"It was a great week. My putting felt good, but I didn't make the putts I wanted. I was hitting it pretty good; I just had three or four bad holes, which is why I didn't have a lower score in this tournament. It was good enough though."
Sophomore Junthima Gulyanamitta carded her lowest round of the week with a 73 on Friday. The native of Thailand finished tied for 54th with a total of 307 (80-76-78-73, +19). Thea Hoffmeister finished just two strokes behind Gulyanamitta with a 309 (76-76-78-79, +21). The Berlin, Germany, native had the high round for Purdue on day four, firing a 79 to finish tied for 63rd.
Maude-Aimee LeBlanc, who had been Purdue's highest finisher in fourth at the NCAA Central Regional, finished tied for 82nd. The sophomore fired a 77 on Friday for a four-day total of 313 (76-77-83-77, +25).
Freshman Vaishavi Sinha turned in a counting score in the final round with her tournament-best tally of 77. The Noida, India, native finished tied for 120th with a 333.
It was the 10th consecutive NCAA Championships appearance by the Boilermakers and the fifth top-10 finish under head coach Devon Brouse.
"I'm so happy for Maria, our staff and for Purdue," Brouse said. "To have a national champion, there is only one of those. When you put yourself up against the top players in the country and come away as a champion, that's pretty special."
Hernandez is the second individual national champion that Brouse has coached. John Inman took the title when Brouse was the men's coach at North Carolina.