U.S. Women's Open Collegiate Qualifiers

Several Duke and USC golfers made the cut

June 13, 2007

By Grant Tunkel

Special to CSTV.com

 

Paola Moreno, Junior, USC

Few golfers have been on a bigger hot-streak over the past four-plus months than Moreno, who capped off her finest year as a college golfer by qualifying for the U.S. Open at the Rockville, Md. qualifier.

Moreno was extraordinary during the spring, finishing in the top 11 in six of seven tournaments. She registered her first career win at the Texas A&M "Mo"Morial Invitational, and finished second the NCAA Central Regional and tied for second at the NCAA Championships. The performances earned her first-team National Golf Coaches Association All-America honors.


 

 

Taryn Durham, Junior, Middle Tennessee State

It took a little bit of extra golf, but Durham will take it, qualifying for the U.S. Open for the first time after nailing a 20-foot birdie putt on the third playoff hole at the Glen Ellyn, Ill. tournament to secure the berth.

 

Durham became the first Blue Raider to qualify for the Open, adding another accolade to her long list achievements. She was selected to the All-Sun Belt Conference team for the third time in her career after a phenomenal 2006-07 campaign in which she won back-to-back tournaments and finished in the top-15 in all seven tournaments during the spring.

 

Stacy Lewis, Junior, Arkansas

As an amateur, Lewis has been used to success.  Following the summer of 2006, Lewis was named the top amateur in the country.  Not to mention she's a national champion.  Following her national title, Lewis won the Southern Amateur in her first summer appearance of the season. She followed up with a solid qualifying round to qualify for the Women's U.S. Open.

 

Lewis has also been solid in the classroom, as she was named to the All-American Academic team.  The Texas native has posted a 3.73 GPA in accounting and finance.

 

Marci Turner, Junior, Tennessee

Only one day after being named a third-team All-American for her efforts in leading Tennessee to the No. 14-ranking in the country, Turner qualified for the Open with an even-par 144 at the Buies Creek qualifier.

 

Turner has been one of the top golfers in the country over the last two years. She finished tied for second at the SEC Championship for the second straight year and strung together four consecutive top-10 finishes heading into the NCAA Championships, where she tied for 40th to lead the Lady Vols. In 2006, she won three tournaments and finished with the third lowest single-season stroke average in school history. She tied the school record for lowest 54-hole score at the NCAA East Regional for her third win, which made her the winningest golfer in Tennessee history.

 

Selanee Henderson, Junior, UC Irvine

Henderson will be making her U.S. Open debut after qualifying at Daly City after shooting a two-round 151, making the cut by one stroke.

 

The UC Irvine junior has led the Anteaters over the last three seasons, finishing in the top three in the Big West Tournament each year and winning the tournament in 2006. She is tied for the second-best round in school history after she fired a 67 as a sophomore at the Fresno State Invitational.

 

Amanda Blumenherst, Sophomore, Duke

The Duke All-American didn't need to qualify for the tournament - she received an exemption after finishing tied for 10th at the Open last year, the highest finish for any amateur in the tournament.

 

Blumenherst is only halfway done with her collegiate career, but she has already become one of the best golfers in Duke history. She was exceptional in 2007, finishing the year with a school-record 71.00 stroke average to go along with seven top-5 finishes. She finished the year ranked No. 1 in the Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index and won the National Player of the Year award, becoming only the fourth player to do so twice. The Duke sophomore recently won the Honda Award.

 

Jennie Lee, Sophomore, Duke

The Duke sophomore will be making her second consecutive and third overall appearance at the U.S Open. She did not make the cut last year, firing consecutive rounds of 76, but she did make the cut in 2005 and finished 50th.

 

Lee has thrived on the big stage throughout her career. Prior to enrolling at Duke, she was a three-time Rolex Junior All-American and won five tournaments during her prep career. Her Open finish in 2004 was the third best among amateurs in the tournament. As a freshman at Duke, Lee registered the 7th-best freshman stroke average in school history and was named to the All-ACC team. And this past year, Lee saved some of her best golf for postseason play, finishing third at the ACC Tournament and tied for 7th at the NCAA Championships, helping Duke win its third consecutive national title.

 

Sydnee Michaels, Freshman, UCLA

Michaels qualified at Daly City by shooting 151 to make the Open for the second consecutive year.

 

Despite missing the cut at last year's Open, she has played well in big tournaments. Nearly a month ago, Michaels made school history when she won the NCAA East Regional with three rounds in the 60s and a school-record 54-hole total of 203, good for 13-under-par. Prior to that, she tied for eighth at the Pac-10 Championships. Before enrolling at UCLA, Michaels made the cut at the Kraft Nabisco LPGA Championship.

 

Maria Jose Uribe, Incoming Freshman, UCLA

The soon-to-be UCLA freshman has had a standout junior golf career, and she will be making an appearance in the U.S. Open for the second consecutive season. She advanced by winning the Buies Creek qualifier that produced five Open participants, shooting 3-under-par over two rounds and finishing three strokes ahead of the next finisher.

 

At 17 years of age, Uribe will be one of the youngest to play in the Open, but she has thrived in big tournaments. She had a stellar year in 2006, tying for fifth at the Rolex Girls Junior Championship, finishing second at the U.S. Girls Junior Championship in the stroke play competition, and placing 11th at the U.S. Women's Amateur Public Links Championship stroke play event. She posted a 10-over-par 152 in two rounds of play at the Open last season.

 

Joanne Lee, Incoming Freshman, USC

Before Lee joins USC in the fall of 2007, she will make her second straight U.S. Open appearance after qualifying at Daly City. She failed to make the cut in last year's tournament.

 

Lee has qualified for the U.S. Women's Amateur Championship and U.S. Girls' Junior Championship four times and has been named the San Jose Mercury News' Golfer of the Year for three consecutive years.

 

 

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