Wake Forest Athletics
Wake Forest University
Mason Rudolph Challenge
Michelle Shin Finishes Second At Mason Rudolph Championship After Record Score
9/26/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Wake Forest All-American Michelle Shin became just the second Demon Deacon to post three under-par rounds in a 54-hole event as she finished second at the Mason Rudolph Championship. Shin closed with a 1-under 71 on Sunday and finished three-shots off the pace at 10-under par.
As a team, the Deacons carded a final round 9-over 297 and slipped to ninth place in the 17-team field. Wake had opened the tournament with back-to-back under-par rounds for just the second time in school history. The Deacs finished the tournament at 3-over par.
"Overall, we had a pretty good tournament," said Wake Forest head coach Dianne Dailey. "I think we expected to come out and make more birdies today than we did but the course played a lot tougher. The wind was blowing and the pins were in some tricky spots. Even though we didn't finish today as well as we would have liked, I think we can take a lot from this week."
Shin got off to a good start Sunday, birdying the opening hole and was tied for the lead with California's Pia Halbig through 6 holes at 10-under par. Both players then birdied the par-3 12th and remained tied atop the leaderboard at 11-under par.
After a bogey at No. 13, Halbig took a 2-shot lead through 16 holes after three-straight birdies. Coupled with a couple of bogies from Shin, Halbig cruised home with a three-shot victory.
Despite a closing birdie by Shin at the par-5 18th, Halbig was able to make par and hold on for a one-shot victory.
Shin shattered the previous school-record for low-54 hole tournament this week. Her 10-under 206 bested Nannette Hill's 6-under 210 total at the 2009 LSU/Cleveland Golf Classic. She is also just the second Demon Deacon to post 3-under par rounds in an event. Alexandra Armas accomplished the feat twice during the 1995-96 season, both in par-73 events.
For the weekend, Shin made a total of 17 birdies, which was the most by any player. She was also second in the field in par-4 scoring at 5-under par.
"Michelle obviously had a great tournament," Dailey said. "She was really confident on the greens and made a lot of putts. She is going to have a lot of good memories in the spring if we can make it back here for the NCAAs."
The team race came right down to the final groups. LSU and Purdue distanced themselves from the field at the start of the back nine and as the scores came in, the teams remained neck-and-neck. But in the end, LSU's steady finish was enough to pull-out a two-shot victory over the Boilermakers. LSU finished at 21-under par while Purdue was 19-under. Pac-10 foes Southern Cal and UCLA finished tied for third at 13-under.
Wake Forest senior Natalie Sheary got off to a tough start on Sunday with back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 3 and 4 and was 4-over for the day through 15 holes. But a strong closing birdie at No. 18 was a fitting way to end the weekend. The West Hartford, Conn., native posted a final round 75 and finished the tournament tied for 41st at 2-over par.
Junior Cheyenne Woods finished off a tough weekend with a round of 1-over 73. She was 3-over through 14 holes but made closing birdies at Nos. 15 and 18 to post her second-straight 73. Woods finished the tournament tied for 46th at 5-over par. For the weekend, the Phoenix, Ariz., native led the field with a total of 45 pars.
Playing in just her second collegiate event, freshman Olafia Kristinsdottir tied for 51st at 6-over par. She opened with a 73 on Friday and then posted a 1-under 71 in the second round on Saturday. The Iceland, native then started her final round 6-over par through eight holes but finished with 10-straight pars to card a 78.
Senior Allie Bodemann finished off her weekend with a birdie at No. 18 to post a final round 82.
The Demon Deacons will return to action in two weeks as they head to Chapel Hill, NC, for the Lady Tar Heel Invitational, hosted by North Carolina. The first round is set for Friday, October 8.
| Wake Forest | 286 | 284 | 297 | 867 | +3 | 9th |
| Michelle Shin | 65 | 70 | 71 | 206 | -10 | 2nd |
| Natalie Sheary | 73 | 70 | 75 | 218 | +2 | t-41st |
| Cheyenne Woods | 75 | 73 | 73 | 221 | +5 | t-46th |
| O. Kristinsdottir | 73 | 71 | 78 | 222 | +6 | t-51st |
| Allie Bodemann | 82 | 87 | 82 | 251 | +35 | 93rd |
Players Mentioned
