Dunes course takes its toll at NCAA Tourney

Friday, May 24, 1996

UCLA survives another day of high scores to stay two strokes
behind leaderBy Christopher Isidro

Daily Bruin Senior Staff

LA QUINTA, Calif. ­ When the reigning U.S. Amateur champion
starts off her round with five straight bogeys, when the current
British amateur champion duffs a 3-iron into the water, and when a
12 is posted on a par-three hole, blame the golf course.

At least that’s what players and coaches are doing after the
Dunes Course at the La Quinta Club and Resort produced another day
of inflated scores in the second round of the NCAA
Championships.

"Nothing held on the back side today," said Texas coach Susan
Watkins, whose Longhorns fell from first to ninth place after just
two of her five players broke 80. "The conditions are tough enough
as it is so it would be nice if they could at least lighten up on
the pin placements."

Said Texas freshman and U.S. Amateur champion Kelli Kuehne:
"They’ve got the course set up in such a way that when you hit a
great shot, you’re not on the green. I think that’s kind of a
problem and the way they set up the pins is a little bit
ridiculous."

The Bruins could not really complain, considering they finished
the day in fourth place, two strokes behind the leader, Arizona
State.

UCLA made a charge on the par-three sixth, a hole which saw more
than half the field record bogey or worse, including a "triple-par"
nine.

An absence of strong gusts allowed the Bruins to concentrate
solely on holding the island green, which is surrounded by a sea of
sand. Jenny Park and Ammandine Vincent each landed safely and
two-putted for their pars.

"I just told them to aim for the center of the green because
it’s a very, very tough hole," UCLA head coach Jackie Steinmann
said. "We played it very well today."

Even when UCLA failed to find sanctuary off the tee, the short
game proved magical. Eunice Choi pitched out of the front bunker
four feet for her save and Jeong Min Park recovered from the trap
with a 12-footer that rimmed into the hole.

Kathy Choi, the last Bruin to play the sixth hole, sent a
six-iron flying to the front of the green. The ball rolled another
15 yards on the rock-hard surface to within birdie range. The Bruin
senior cashed in on her good fortune, sinking the 10-foot putt to
put UCLA at one-under- par for the hole.

However, the par-72, 6,230-yard course would eventually catch up
with the Bruins. "We did great on the front side," Steinmann said.
"And then we hit the back nine."

On the 13th hole, UCLA got entangled with some of the dangers
lurking within the 135-yard par three. Eunice Choi found the pond
for a double bogey while Jeong Min Park three-putted on the fast
greens. But it could have been worse.

Auburn, which finished the round in last place, found the water
six times on the 13th on Thursday. After freshman Robin Cook
splashed down twice for quadruple-bogey, Katie Gallina did one
better … make that two better. After Gallina’s tee shot bounded
off the fringe and into the pond, she repeatedly dropped and
pitched the ball short of the island green. She finished with a
bogey, nine times over.

The 17th hole, dubbed one of America’s toughest holes by the
PGA, lived up to its billing as far as UCLA is concerned. The
cement-like fairways wreaked havoc on the approach shots. Jeong Min
Park watched helplessly as her second shot on the par-four rolled
into the water for one of two UCLA double-bogeys on the hole. She
can take comfort in the fact that San Jose State’s Janice Moodie,
the British amateur champion, topped her own approach on the 17th
into the pond.

The Bruins finished up the day with a 23-over-par 311. As poor
as that may seem, it was the third best score of the day as only 40
of the 96 golfers in the field managed to break 80 for the
round.

Jenny Park recovered from a viral infection which nearly forced
her to withdraw on Wednesday to record a 77, including a 35 on the
back nine. Meanwhile, Kathy Choi again was the low scorer for UCLA,
posting a two-over-par 74.

The tourney continues with the third round teeing up today at 8
a.m.