Badgers finish Cougar Classic in 14th
September 16, 2008 | Women's Golf
The 66th-ranked University of Wisconsin women's golf team had their best round of the young season on Tuesday to finish in 14th place at the 2008 Cougar Classic at the par-72 6,159-yard Yeaman's Hall Golf Club in Hanahan, S.C.
Wisconsin, which was 15th out of 22 teams following round two, shot a 12-over par 300 in round three to finish 44 strokes over par for the tournament. The Badgers' team score was 908 (301-307-300). Georgia won the team title, posting a six-under 858.
Junior Kelsey Verbeten (Green Bay, Wis.) put up another solid performance during the third round and finished in a tie for 19th place. Verbeten shot a one-over 73 on Tuesday to help set a career-best 54-hole score of 218 (71-74-73), one day after setting a career-mark for 36 holes. Starting on the 10th hole, Verbeten parred the first four holes but bogeyed the par-4, 375-yard 14th. She got one back though as she birdied No. 15 and then parred out for an even-par 36 through nine. Verbeten started the front nine with a bogey at No. 1, but kept her composure with eight straight pars to close out the tournament.
Fellow junior Heather Herrick (Hartland, Wis.) also recorded a one-over 73 in round three. Her score was the best of her career for 18 holes, breaking the old mark of 75. In addition, Herrick's two-round total of 155 and three-round total of 228 set new personal bests, bettering old marks of 158 and 244, respectively. Starting on the 12th hole, Herrick put up four straight pars before a birdie at No. 16. Five more pars followed before bogey at No. 4 brought her back to even-par for the day. After a par on the fifth hole, Herrick sandwiched a birdie on No. 7 with bogeys on Nos. 6 and 8. She closed the round with three more pars to finish in a tie for 55th place.
Finishing two strokes behind Herrick was senior Isabel Alvarez (Gijon, Spain). Alvarez was nine-over par for the day with an 81 and slipped from a tie for 32nd after round two into a tie for 66th. She finished the tournament 14-over par with a 230 (74-75-81). Alvarez, who started on the 11th hole, bogeyed her first hole and then rattled off four straight pars. She hit a rough patch starting on No. 16 though as she carded five bogeys in a row. Alvarez added a double bogey on No. 4 and a bogey on the 10th hole to end her round.
The third round turned out to be the best of the tournament for sophomore Carly Werwie (Kenosha, Wis.), which she used to parlay into a tie for 85th. Werwie shot a five-over 77 to finish 20-over par with a 236 (79-80-77). Her day started on the 13th hole and a birdie at the 15th moved her to one-under. Werwie was unable to stay in the red though as a double bogey at No. 16 followed by a bogey at the 17th put her at two-over par for the day. Werwie birdied No. 18, but gave it back with a bogey on the first hole. She posted back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 4 and 5 to fall to four-over par. A birdie on the eighth hole and a bogey on the ninth kept her at four-over before a bogey on No. 12 ended her day.
Freshman Jessie Gerry (Madison, Wis.) wrapped up her first collegiate tournament with a career-best round of 77. She ended the tournament in a tie for 94th with a 239 (80-82-77), good for 23-over par. Starting on the 13th hole right before Werwie's group, Gerry began her day with three straight bogeys. A birdie on No. 16 interrupted the string, but a bogey on No. 17 kept her at three-over for the day. After bogeying the third hole, Gerry parred holes four through six before posting a four on the par-five seventh. She closed out her round with a double bogey on No. 8 followed by four straight pars.
The women's golf team returns to the links on Saturday Sept. 27 when they host the two-day Badger Invitational at University Ridge.
