TULSA, Okla. (May 21, 2014) – Unable to get on a birdie streak and struggling with her putter, ETSU junior Gabriella Wahl (Heidenheim, Germany) tried to battle through her second round Wednesday in the NCAA Women’s Golf Championships at the Tulsa Country Club.
Wahl ultimately carded a 5-over-par 75, an effort that leaves her in a tie for 50th with two rounds left to play this week. For the tournament, Wahl stands at 9-over-par 149. Meanwhile, Oklahoma’s Alexandra Kaui fired a 3-under-par 67 on Wednesday and now holds the top spot with a three-stroke lead over the rest of the field.
“I was trying too much to force things today,” Wahl said. “I was hitting the ball well, but my putting wasn’t good. I will try to get back to my game tomorrow and enjoy this opportunity.”
The round did not start well for Wahl, as she opened play with three bogeys over the first six holes. However, she did manage to regroup with a birdie on the Par 4, No. 8 hole to end up with a 2-over 37 after nine holes.
On the back nine, she once again bogeyed three of the first five holes and then birdied the Par 4, 15th hole. Unfortunately, another bogey followed on the final hole of the day.
ETSU assistant coach Lauren Stratton – who is on the trip with Wahl as ETSU head coach Stefanie Shelton is on maternity leave – said Wahl will use the round as something to build upon.
“Today was an opportunity to learn” Stratton said. “The wind was still strong, but it was manageable. Gabriella handled the wind well with her ball striking, but struggled on the green. I am confident she will be ready to go tomorrow.”
The third and fourth rounds will be played over the next two days, and Wahl is scheduled to start her third round of play Thursday at 8:25 (CST). Fans can watch live scoring by visiting Golfstat.com and clicking on the NCAA Championship link, while ETSUBucs.com will also provide a complete wrap up following each day’s play.
