Feb. 13, 2012
RIO GRANDE, P.R. - Purdue junior Laura Gonzalez-Escallon tied a school record by firing a tournament-low 65 on Monday, helping move the Boilermakers into sixth place at the 10th-annual Lady Puerto Rico Classic in Rio Grande, P.R. Purdue shot the low round of the tournament thus far, which also was the Boilermakers' lowest round of the year, with a two-under par 286 and is 11 shots off the lead with a score of 596 (310-286, +20).
The Boilermakers' second round total marks a 24-stroke improvement over their opening round.
No. 11 Georgia leads the field with a score of 585 (294-291, +9) and has two players tied with Gonzalez-Escallon for first place. The 2011 National Player of the Year, Marta Silva Zamora (74-66=140, -4) carded a six-under par 66 on Monday to move into a tie with teammate Emilie Burger (66-74=140, -4), who had sole possession of the lead after a 66 of her own in the opening round. Gonzalez-Escallon's 65 tied Rebecca Burkhart's record set August 7, 1995, tied the Lady Puerto Rico tournament record and moved her into a tie for first with a two-round total of 140 (75-65=140, -4).
No. 6 LSU is just one stroke off the pace after recording a 292 for a two-round total of 586 (294-293, +10). No. 8 Oklahoma (300-290) and No. 45 Arkansas (297-293) are tied for third at +14.
Purdue's Paula Reto also moved up the leaderboard, recording a one-under par 71 for a tie for 15th with a score of 148. Reto come into the tournament as Purdue's highest-ranked player, earning a spot at No. 17 after the fall season. The Cape Town, South Africa, native shot a 77 on Sunday, but shaved six strokes off her score in round two.
Junior Kishi Sinha continues her steady, improved play answering her opening round 75 with a 74 on Monday. The Noida, India, native is tied for 20th with a total of 149. Freshman Aurora Kan improved by seven strokes from round one to round two, firing a 76 on the second day and into a tie for 63rd with a 159 (83-76).
Freshman Kendall Dusenberry, who enrolled at Purdue in January after graduating early from high school, recorded an 85 and is in 83rd place with a 176. Fellow January enrollee, Vicky Scherer competed as an individual and is tied for 73rd with a two-round score of 161 (81-80).
The tournament, which Purdue is hosting, is being held at the River Course of the Rio Mar Beach Resort and Spa which is set up as a par-72, 6,191-yard venue.
The final round of the tournament begins Tuesday with a 6:30 a.m. ET shotgun start. The Boilermakers will be paired with fifth-place Texas Tech, seventh-place North Carolina State and eighth-place Northwestern. Live scoring is available at golfstat.com and final recap will be posted to purduesports.com.