McCurdy honored; Lady'Backs ninth to finish fall

FAYETTEVILLE — University of Arkansas women’s golfer Amanda McCurdy was named to the Golf World Mid-Season All-America team leading the Lady Razorbacks to a ninth-place ranking in the final fall poll. McCurdy, a senior from El Dorado, Ark., finished the fall with a team-best 72.92 stroke average and one win. As a team, Arkansas also notched one win and had a pair of third-place finishes against one of the best schedules in recent years. "Amanda had a very good fall," said head coach Kelley Hester. "The peak was probably the win at the Mercedes and she played well at the match play to finish. Amanda had a good stroke average for the fall as well. The fall is a sign of great things to come for both Amanda and the team. You can’t get there at the end of the year if you’re not there at the halfway point." The Lady’Backs opened the year with a third-place showing at the Mason Randolph Collegiate Championship finishing behind Duke and Georgia with an 884 (291-296-297). McCurdy tied for 16th in that event. Arkansas returned home hosting the Tyson/Embassy Suites Invitational winning the event with an 876 (291-299-286). McCurdy tied for fifth as Arkansas dominated the top spots. Sophomore Ashley Medders captured medalist honors competing as an individual while senior Courtney Mahon and sophomore Stacy Lewis tied for second overall. The Lady’Backs played to their second third-place finish at the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Classic carding an 889 (300-299-290) finishing behind Georgia and Purdue. McCurdy picked up her win at the Tennessee-hosted event posting a career-best 213 (70-74-69) for the victory. Arkansas faced another challenging field at the Las Vegas Founders Collegiate Showdown finishing sixth with a school-record 882 (294-295-293). McCurdy shot a 221 (72-73-76) to help Arkansas. McCurdy and the Lady’Backs wrapped up the fall at the Hooters Match Play Championships breaking from the traditional team format to play match play. McCurdy was a perfect 4-0 in matches as Arkansas won the Consolation B title with a 3-1 record. "We’re right where we want to be," said Hester. "We are definitely in the mix halfway through. It’s a good place to start the spring and we give ourselves a change to improve on that based on strength of schedule seeing mostly top 10 teams this spring." The Lady Razorbacks continue the winter break until returning to the links at the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge in Palos Verdes, Calif., Feb. 13-15, in the first event of a busy spring. Arkansas travels to the Lady Puerto Rico Invitational Feb. 24-26, followed by the Texas A&M "Mo" Morial Classic March 10-12, and the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic March 24-26. Arkansas concludes the regular season at the SEC Championship hosted by Vanderbilt in Nashville, Tenn., April 15-17, and hopes to advance to NCAA Regionals and the NCAA Championships. For more information about Arkansas golf, log on to LADYBACKS.COM.
Golf World Mid-Season All-American Team

Golf World Women’s College Coaches’ PollNov. 25 editionFINAL FALL POLL

Others receiving votes: Baylor, 22; Long Beach St., 21; SMU, 14; Missouri, 9; LSU, 7; Tulsa, 6; Oregon, 4; South Carolina, 2; UC Irvine, 1.