Final Results
Waverly, Iowa – Katrina Wood (Jr./Duluth, Minn./Marshall School) fired a final round four-over par 76 to complete her first trip to the NCAA Division III Golf Championships to jump 20 spots in the standings and finished in a tie for 37th overall with a four-round total of 323, a new 72-hole school record.
Only a three-putt on her final hole of today’s round kept her from matching the school record for low 18-hole round in relation to par. Her final round score was tied for eighth-best on the day among the 111 golfers in the field. Wood did equal the second-best 18-hole round in the program’s history, a score she posted in the first round of the UW-Eau Claire Invitational in September 2007. Her 72-hole total of 35-over par bested the tally by Kassie Wells ’07 at last year’s national tournament by eight shots.
After an uncharacteristic poor first day, Wood improved her score in each of the final three rounds at Centennial Oaks Golf Club. She followed up her disappointing 87 from day one with rounds of 81, 79 and 76.
In Friday’s final round, she was five of seven on par saves and totaled 31 putts, including only 13 on her first nine.
“Katrina played really well today,” said head coach Eric Sieger. “She really hit the ball great. She missed four birdie putts, so she had a chance at an even-par round.”
For the third straight day, Wood started on the course’s back nine, but for the first time in the tournament, she was able to record a nice save on No. 12 to post a par on the scorecard. That hole had played toughest all week, but Wood drained a 15-foot putt after hitting over the green and chipping back past the hole.
On the par-3 13th hole Wood got her round jump-started, ripping a six-iron into a strong headwind to about 15 feet. She missed the putt, but it was the first of many strong iron shots on the day. She birdied the par-5 14th, hitting a wedge to 15 feet and draining the birdie. She missed a five-foot par putt on the next hole, but rebounded with a 10-foot, par-saving putt on No. 16. She narrowly missed a birdie on the par-3 No. 17 from 15 feet, but made a great sand save with a 30-yard bunker shot and 10-foot par putt to turn her first nine in one-over par 37.
Her second nine started on a down note with bogeys on the first two holes, including No. 2 when she blasted a drive about 265 yard right down the middle but fluffed a wedge on to the front part of the green and suffered her lone three-putt of the day. She made a nice par save on the par-5 third after nearly reaching the green in two but hitting her third shot from the fescue into the hazard behind the green (but not into the water).
The next two holes afforded Wood excellent birdie opportunities. She hit a great nine-iron into the par-4 fourth, but narrowly missed from eight feet. On the par-3 sixth she ripped a seven-iron to five feet, but couldn't get that to go, either. After a solid par on No. 6, she flushed a hybrid to 20 feet and settled for par, as she played the par 3's even on the day. A par save on No. 8, her penultimate hole of the day, set up the final hole. After hitting a shorter drive into the right rough, she had nearly 170 yards to the pin into the wind. Another well-struck hybrid wouldn't settle on the green, running through into the back fringe. She left her birdie attempt a bit short, and missed a four-footer that would have tied the school record.
"It was probably the best round I've seen Katrina play," Sieger said. "She was ready to play from the outset, hit the ball wonderfully and putted pretty well. I thought she hit some great putts that didn't go in, but she also made a fair share from distance so it's hard to complain. I think that round opened her eyes a bit and shows her what she can do. Frankly, I think she could play at that level every round if she decided that's what she wanted to do."
Methodist University successfully defended its team title, firing rounds of 299 and 304, the two best team scored of the event, over the final two rounds to end up at 1,219 to outdistance DePauw University (1,258) and Southwestern University (1,263). Gustavus Adolphus finished sixth at 1,284 and St. Thomas settled for seventh at 1,285. Kimbra Kosak of Gustavus was the top MIAC finisher, as the junior ended at 15-over par 303 to finish tied for sixth. Macalester's Jordan Matheson was next among conference golfers at 23-over par 311 to tie for 13th, followed by UST's Laura Heck in a tie for 21st (316), Rachel Roberg of Gustavus in 25th (317), UST's Amy Anderson in a tie for 31st (321) and Wood. A total of 13 MIAC players competed in the national tournament.
