Northwestern University Athletics
Komoto Leads Four 'Cats In Top-20 After 36 Holes In Puerto Rico
2/15/2016 4:26:00 PM | Women's Golf
RIO GRANDE, Puerto Rico – Junior Kacie Komoto navigated rain and windy conditions to card 15 pars and a pair of birdies on her way to a 1-under 71 in the second round of the Lady Puerto Rico Classic, and a share of sixth on the leaderboard after 36 holes at Rio Mar Country Club.
Komoto, five shots off the lead, is one of four Wildcats in the Top-20 heading into Tuesday's final round at The River Course by Greg Norman. Classmate Sarah Cho, sophomore Hannah Kim and freshman Stephanie Lau all share 19th-place at 4-over for the tournament.
2016 Lady Puerto Rico Classic - LIVE RESULTS
Northwestern's second round 298 in the 5-count-4 format is the team's seventh consecutive sub-300 round at Rio Mar dating back to the 2014 event. The 'Cats are fifth in the field as a team, three shots out of fourth and five back of third, after 36 holes.
"Rain was in the forecast for today, and it was a downpour for the first three holes," said head coach Emily Fletcher. "The wind really picked up the rest of the morning to make everyone's life difficult. We weren't as sharp as Sunday's opener, and we looked like it was our second competitive round since the fall, which it was. I'm really encouraged by the way our girls battled through the challenges, and I'm looking forward to tomorrow with several of them in position to make a charge up the leaderboard."
Tuesday's final round will tee off with a shotgun start at 7:30 a.m. ET. The Wildcats will be paired with Kent State, Louisville and TCU.
Northwestern – 5/16 • 290-298-R3=588 (+12)
T6 -- Kacie Komoto -- 73-71-R3=144 (E)
T19 -- Hannah Kim -- 74-74-R3=148 (+4)
T19 – Sarah Cho -- 72-76-R3=148 (+4)
T19 – Stephanie Lau -- 71-77-148=71 (+4)
T72 – Janet Mao -- 79-79-R3=158 (+14)
78 – Kaitlin Park* -- 79-83-R3=162 (+18)
* - Competing as an individual
This marks the Wildcats eighth consecutive trip to the Lady Puerto Rico Classic. The team is coming off its two best performances on The River Course by Greg Norman, a 22-under 886 that secured a third-place finish in 2014, and an identical score in 2015 for a fourth-place result.
Northwestern, No. 6 in the current Golfweek Women's Team Collegiate Rankings, is competing in Puerto Rico against an elite field that includes three additional Top-10 programs, two more ranked in the Top-20, and 12 total in the Top-50.
The leaderboard features No. 5 Georgia, reigning tournament champion No. 8 Arkansas, No. 9 Kent State, No. 18 Iowa State, No. 19 Purdue, No. 27 North Carolina, No. 28 Clemson, No. 29 Louisville State, No. 40 Michigan, No. 45 TCU, No. 49 Augusta State, Auburn and Maryland.
The Wildcats are aiming to carry the momentum generated in a sparkling fall season during which they finished in the Top-4 as a group in all four tournaments, including a win at the 2015 Windy City Collegiate Classic. Northwestern (849) and Stephanie Lau (206) carded the lowest 54-hole scores in program history at the Mason Rudolph Championship in September, and three different Wildcats (Lau, Kacie Komoto, Sarah Cho) were recognized as the Big Ten Golfer Of The Week during the fall.
Komoto, five shots off the lead, is one of four Wildcats in the Top-20 heading into Tuesday's final round at The River Course by Greg Norman. Classmate Sarah Cho, sophomore Hannah Kim and freshman Stephanie Lau all share 19th-place at 4-over for the tournament.
2016 Lady Puerto Rico Classic - LIVE RESULTS
Northwestern's second round 298 in the 5-count-4 format is the team's seventh consecutive sub-300 round at Rio Mar dating back to the 2014 event. The 'Cats are fifth in the field as a team, three shots out of fourth and five back of third, after 36 holes.
"Rain was in the forecast for today, and it was a downpour for the first three holes," said head coach Emily Fletcher. "The wind really picked up the rest of the morning to make everyone's life difficult. We weren't as sharp as Sunday's opener, and we looked like it was our second competitive round since the fall, which it was. I'm really encouraged by the way our girls battled through the challenges, and I'm looking forward to tomorrow with several of them in position to make a charge up the leaderboard."
Tuesday's final round will tee off with a shotgun start at 7:30 a.m. ET. The Wildcats will be paired with Kent State, Louisville and TCU.
Northwestern – 5/16 • 290-298-R3=588 (+12)
T6 -- Kacie Komoto -- 73-71-R3=144 (E)
T19 -- Hannah Kim -- 74-74-R3=148 (+4)
T19 – Sarah Cho -- 72-76-R3=148 (+4)
T19 – Stephanie Lau -- 71-77-148=71 (+4)
T72 – Janet Mao -- 79-79-R3=158 (+14)
78 – Kaitlin Park* -- 79-83-R3=162 (+18)
* - Competing as an individual
This marks the Wildcats eighth consecutive trip to the Lady Puerto Rico Classic. The team is coming off its two best performances on The River Course by Greg Norman, a 22-under 886 that secured a third-place finish in 2014, and an identical score in 2015 for a fourth-place result.
Northwestern, No. 6 in the current Golfweek Women's Team Collegiate Rankings, is competing in Puerto Rico against an elite field that includes three additional Top-10 programs, two more ranked in the Top-20, and 12 total in the Top-50.
The leaderboard features No. 5 Georgia, reigning tournament champion No. 8 Arkansas, No. 9 Kent State, No. 18 Iowa State, No. 19 Purdue, No. 27 North Carolina, No. 28 Clemson, No. 29 Louisville State, No. 40 Michigan, No. 45 TCU, No. 49 Augusta State, Auburn and Maryland.
The Wildcats are aiming to carry the momentum generated in a sparkling fall season during which they finished in the Top-4 as a group in all four tournaments, including a win at the 2015 Windy City Collegiate Classic. Northwestern (849) and Stephanie Lau (206) carded the lowest 54-hole scores in program history at the Mason Rudolph Championship in September, and three different Wildcats (Lau, Kacie Komoto, Sarah Cho) were recognized as the Big Ten Golfer Of The Week during the fall.
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