Spring Break
Women's golf finishes sixth at SECs, Silva Zamora wins title
NICK PARKER
Issue date: 4/20/09 Section: Sports
The No. 14 Georgia women's golf team didn't quite have the weekend it would have liked, finishing in sixth place at the SEC Championships, 17 shots back of winner Auburn.
That doesn't mean the weekend was a complete wash, though, as freshman sensation Marta Silva Zamora rolled to a 4-shot victory, earning individual medalist honors with her 3-under-par 210, becoming the third Lady Bulldog in history to win the SEC title as a freshman.
"Well, it was just really impressive," head coach Kelley Hester said of Silva Zamora's play. "She was right in there from Day 1 and played very solidly and then pretty much capped it off with a solid round today."
Said Silva Zamora: "Yeah, I don't know, I played pretty good and I thought I was going to be kind of nervous, but I stayed calm and pretty good, and it was nice."
Her victory should lock up the SEC freshman of the year award after an incredible season in which she posted five top 10 finishes.
One of her chief competitors for medalist honors was her senior captain Mallory Hetzel, who finished in third place at 2-over-par.
"I gave her a big hug when she got done, and she said, 'I can't complain that wasn't too bad,' but she had a very strong performance and I was pretty pleased with it," Hester said.
One factor Georgia had to deal with this weekend was that it was forced to play one person down for the last two rounds, as Leigh Crosby pinched a nerve in her wrist when she hit a root on a shot on the 11th hole Saturday, forcing her to withdraw.
"Well, you know, it made a difference," Hester said. "It's hard to gauge exactly what kind of difference, but it happens sometimes. I'd rather it happen now than at regionals or nationals."
Crosby is expected to be back in time for NCAA Regionals, which are in two weeks.
"I think she will be back," Hester said. "Early signs indicate that we just need to rest it, but we'll get her checked out tomorrow so we'll have a little bit better idea, and she'll have some X-rays to make sure there's nothing in there going on that we aren't aware of."
One highlight for the Lady Dogs other than Zamora's victory was junior Carolina Andrade's eagle, who holed out on the par-4 15th.
"She holed out from a fairway bunker about 70 yards out, which was really impressive," Hester said.
With a little over two weeks before NCAA Regionals, the Bulldogs will find out April 25 where they will be heading.
"Regionals is in two weeks, so we just need to practice and get better," Zamora said.
That doesn't mean the weekend was a complete wash, though, as freshman sensation Marta Silva Zamora rolled to a 4-shot victory, earning individual medalist honors with her 3-under-par 210, becoming the third Lady Bulldog in history to win the SEC title as a freshman.
"Well, it was just really impressive," head coach Kelley Hester said of Silva Zamora's play. "She was right in there from Day 1 and played very solidly and then pretty much capped it off with a solid round today."
Said Silva Zamora: "Yeah, I don't know, I played pretty good and I thought I was going to be kind of nervous, but I stayed calm and pretty good, and it was nice."
Her victory should lock up the SEC freshman of the year award after an incredible season in which she posted five top 10 finishes.
One of her chief competitors for medalist honors was her senior captain Mallory Hetzel, who finished in third place at 2-over-par.
"I gave her a big hug when she got done, and she said, 'I can't complain that wasn't too bad,' but she had a very strong performance and I was pretty pleased with it," Hester said.
One factor Georgia had to deal with this weekend was that it was forced to play one person down for the last two rounds, as Leigh Crosby pinched a nerve in her wrist when she hit a root on a shot on the 11th hole Saturday, forcing her to withdraw.
"Well, you know, it made a difference," Hester said. "It's hard to gauge exactly what kind of difference, but it happens sometimes. I'd rather it happen now than at regionals or nationals."
Crosby is expected to be back in time for NCAA Regionals, which are in two weeks.
"I think she will be back," Hester said. "Early signs indicate that we just need to rest it, but we'll get her checked out tomorrow so we'll have a little bit better idea, and she'll have some X-rays to make sure there's nothing in there going on that we aren't aware of."
One highlight for the Lady Dogs other than Zamora's victory was junior Carolina Andrade's eagle, who holed out on the par-4 15th.
"She holed out from a fairway bunker about 70 yards out, which was really impressive," Hester said.
With a little over two weeks before NCAA Regionals, the Bulldogs will find out April 25 where they will be heading.
"Regionals is in two weeks, so we just need to practice and get better," Zamora said.
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