May 6, 2011
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The fourth-ranked Purdue women's golf team moved up to third place after firing a 285 on Friday in the second round of the NCAA East Regional at the LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Fla.
The No. 2 seed Boilermakers (295-285=580) trail top-seed Alabama (287-284=571) by nine strokes and ACC tournament champion North Carolina by five strokes (293-282=575).
Purdue is led by sophomore Laura Gonzalez-Escallon who is tied for ninth at even par. The La Hulpe, Belgium, native has carded a 72 in each of her two rounds and is tied with four other golfers for ninth place.
Thea Hoffmeister and Paula Reto led the charge for the Boilermakers in the second round, each firing a two-under par 70 on Friday. Hoffmeister improved from a tie for 39th to a tie for 14th, just one stroke behind Gonzalez-Escallon with a 145 (75-70=145).
Senior Maude-Aimee LeBlanc fired a 73 in the second round and is tied for 22nd with a composite score of 147. The Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada, native opened with a 74 to sit at three-over par thus far in the tournament.
Reto and senior Numa Gulyanamitta are two of the five golfers who have totaled 148 to tie for 33rd place. Gulyanamitta has recorded a 74 in both of her regional rounds while Reto opened with a 78 followed by a team-low 70 on Friday.
Purdue's 285 was the third-lowest team score of the day behind North Carolina's 282 and Alabama's 284.
NCAA Regional play consists of three 18-hole rounds. After the three-day tournament concludes, the eight teams with the best scores and top three individuals whose teams do not qualify will advance to the NCAA Championships from May 18 to 21 at the Traditions Golf Club in Bryan, Texas. The Boilermakers are looking to advance to their 12th-consecutive NCAA Championships in order to defend their national title.
The Boilermakers will tee off in the final round beginning at 9:06 a.m. ET and will be paired with Alabama and North Carolina. Live scoring is available on golfstat.com and final results will be posted to purduesports.com following the completion of the tournament.