RICHARD WALKER / RWALKER@STARBULLETIN.COM
Hawaii's Brooke Jackson watched her drive from the ninth tee at Kapolei Golf Course during yesterday's final round of the WAC women's golf championships.
Freshmen lead Tulsa
to WAC women’s title
The faces change, but the result remains the same.
All-WAC women
Player of the Year: Alana Condon, Nevada.
Freshman of the Year: Christine Fernandez, Tulsa.
Coach of the Year: Holley Hair, Tulsa.
First Team--Alana Condon, Nevada; Christine Fernandez, Tulsa; Suzie Fisher, Tulsa; Ashley Gomes, San Jose State; Julie Tvede, Tulsa.
Second Team--Marie Beasley, Boise State; Meghan Ingalls, Nevada; Tai Kinney, San Jose State; Anne Mallory, UTEP; Erin Simmons, SMU.
Led by a new coach and with three freshmen on the playing roster, Tulsa captured a record fifth consecutive Western Athletic Conference women's golf title yesterday at Kapolei Golf Course.
Golden Hurricane junior Julie Tvede fired a 2-under-par 70 to win the individual championship and help Tulsa pull away from Nevada and San Jose State in the race for the team title.
"I knew if I could play well and hold it together there was a good chance the team would play well," Tvede said.
Tvede finished the 54-hole event with a score of 2-over-par 218. Ashley Gomes of San Jose State fired a 75 yesterday to finish second with a total of 227.
As a team, Tulsa entered the final round protecting a one-stroke lead over San Jose State and Nevada.
In addition to Tvede's performance, freshmen Courtney Jones and Cas Bridge boosted Tulsa with rounds of 73 and 77 yesterday. Christine Fernandez, the WAC Freshman of the Year, carded an 80 and junior Suzie Fisher had an 82.
The Hurricane, ranked 20th in the GolfWorld.com coaches poll, finished with a team total of 914, nine ahead of runner-up Nevada.
"They felt they should win this tournament," said first-year Tulsa coach Holley Hair. "We have some goals ... and we felt coming into the WAC if our freshmen played well we would win."
Tournament host Hawaii came in sixth with a three-day total of 975. Rainbow Wahine junior Rene Krause was Hawaii's top finisher, coming in 21st with a score of 241.
Tvede was the only player to shoot under par in any round of the tournament, as strong trade winds whipped through the course. Hair and Tvede said the windy conditions may have actually worked to the Hurricane's advantage.
"We have a lot of wind in Tulsa in the springtime," Hair said. "We practice a lot in the wind ... so playing in harsh conditions favors us, I think. We knew it was going to be windy and we knew we had played in enough wind that we could handle it."
Tvede, a native of Denmark, held a three-stroke lead in the individual competition over Fisher and Nevada's Alana Condon, the WAC Player of the Year, after Tuesday's play.
Tvede assumed control of the tournament early in the final round by shooting 3 under par over the first four holes.
She maintained her cushion on the back nine with birdies on Nos. 12 and 13. She had opportunities for birdie on holes 14 and 16, but watched putts lip out of the cup.
"I was trying to play aggressive," Tvede said. "I've had bad experiences with staying passive, so I was just trying to hit it close every time I could and play aggressive.
"I really haven't been in a situation like this, playing in college, so I was quite happy I was able to keep it together. Before the round I wasn't nervous, but you're always anxious to see how you start out."
Both Fisher and Condon faltered on the final day, allowing Gomes to jump from fourth to second place. San Jose State's Tai Kinney and Boise State's Marie Beasley tied for third. Condon and teammate Erin LaPlaunt tied for fifth.
Hair, who helped the Hurricane win a national championship as a player in 1982, took over the Tulsa program this season after Melissa McNamara stepped down. The team also lost its top three players from last year, including All-American and WAC champion Stacy Prammanasudh.
Despite the turnover, Tulsa was able to hang on to the conference title led by Tvede, Fisher and the freshman class.
"That's what happens when you have some team leaders," Hair said. "That's what they're supposed to do, to make it easier for your freshmen."
