Feb. 17, 2013

Peg Barnard Invitational Final Round

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STANFORD, Calif. - Stanford claimed the Peg Barnard Invitational after carding a final round four-under-par 280 on Sunday afternoon at Stanford Golf Course.

Freshman Mariah Stackhouse recorded a nine-under over the front nine for a course-record 26 and finished the round with a 10-under-par 61 to establish a course record and capture the Peg Barnard title.

"Our energy was really good early on," said Stanford's Margot and Mitch Milias Director of Women's Golf Anne Walker. "Lauren (Kim) started birdie-birdie and Mariah started eagle-birdie. So, it felt like something special was going on through those first few holes. It was a buzz. Through six holes, Mariah was five under and word started spreading. All of a sudden, everyone just started showing up."

Under blue skies, very mild winds and a course playing hard and fast, Stackhouse tallied two eagles and five birdies on the front nine, only paring the third and sixth holes.

Stackhouse's round of 61 (-10) represents a collegiate record, according to research confirmed by the NCAA. Of the four players who previously carded a round of -9, none produced a lower nine-hole score (courtesy Golfweek, Golfstat).

"It's actually ironic, because the front nine is my least favorite nine," said Stackhouse, who made eagles on the first and seventh holes. "My goal on this golf course is always to get through hole 10, try to be at one or two under, and then really try to have a good round the rest of the way. Today I'm nine under after nine, and thinking that it's not even the side of the course that I like. I can't describe it. I didn't do anything differently. I just allowed myself to play golf and it all worked out."

Heading into the back nine, Stackhouse made an early birdie on the 12th hole but two consecutive bogeys followed. That, however, did not stop her from finishing a solid performance, making two consecutive birdies on the 16th and 17th holes.

Sophomore Mariko Tumangan previously held the course record at 63.

Stackhouse, a freshman from Riverdale, Ga., totaled eight birdies and two eagles to finish10 strokes ahead of San Jose State's Regina DeGuzman and UC Davis' Demi Runas, who tied for second at 140.

"The one thing that really separates Mariah, at least right now, is her demeanor," said Walker. "She is really able to focus on whatever shot she is hitting at that moment. When you shoot 10 under, which few people ever have, you really have to be able to stay in the present. For her to go bogey-bogey and then jump back with birdie-birdie tells me she was absolutely in the moment on every shot."

"After I had the eagle on seven, I honestly felt like I was a spectator, and at that point I was just watching myself," said Stackhouse. "I've always known that there was going to be one day where I would have an epic front nine, and I've always wondered if I would be nervous. But it was just so much fun. I was just having so much fun watching every putt."

The Cardinal, the only team to shoot under par on Sunday, finished with a 569 (289-280), 14 strokes ahead of California at 583 (285-298). UC Davis came in third at 589 (296-293).

Kim finished tied for fifth at 142 (70-72). The freshman fashioned five birdies for one over par. She closed the tournament with a birdie on the 18th hole. Sophomore Mariko Tumangan placed 16th at 148 (75-73) while senior Sally Watson tied for 17th at 149 (75-74).

Danielle Frasier, a junior, came back four strokes in the final round to record a 152 (78-74).

Senior Kristina Wong, who played as an individual, tied for 54th at 159 (81-78).

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Freshman Mariah Stackhouse
On her mindset during the final holes of the front nine...
"After I had the eagle on seven, I honestly felt like I was a spectator, and at that point I was just watching myself. I kept saying to myself, `what is going on?' The eagle was a long putt, about 40 feet, and it just drained. Then I birdied eight after a good approach shot, and ended up with a good 10-12 footer. Moving to nine, I didn't hit that great of an approach shot and I still had about 30 feet downhill. It's one of the hardest putts on the course because it's so fast. But it just fell. At that point, I was thinking, `this isn't real life.' I managed to stay calm. I've always known that there was going to be one day where I would have an epic front nine, and I've always wondered if I would be nervous. But it was just so much fun. I was just having so much fun watching every putt."

On how she gained momentum after Saturday's performance...
"My performance yesterday was really solid. It was my first round of the season since I hadn't played a tournament since our event in October. So I just wanted to get back out there and play a solid round. We played five rounds of qualifying leading up to this tournament and I was under par on every round except for one, which was even par. So, I had been playing well the last few weeks. My mentality yesterday was just to start off under par, and set myself up to stay in contention for today. Then, today just happened."

General thoughts after nine holes before entering the back nine...
"It's actually ironic, because the front nine is my least favorite nine. My goal on this golf course is always to get through hole 10, try to be at one or two under, and then really try to have a good round the rest of the way. Today, I'm nine under after nine, and thinking that it's not even the side of the course that I like. I can't even describe it. I didn't do anything differently. I just allowed myself to play golf and it all worked out."

On how she rebounded after back-to-back bogeys during the back nine...
"I don't know if it was nerves or what. I had just birdied No. 12 and my goal whenever I get to the par five is to drive it in two. So, I figured I could eagle or birdie this one. For holes 13 and 14, they are weird holes for me. Sometimes I birdie them, sometimes I bogey them. I wasn't really flustered because I knew that holes 15-18 were my four favorite holes on the course in a row, because I'm always one or two under on those last four holes. Honestly, once I went back to eight under par, I'm pretty sure I heard Coach Walker mention that Mariko's record out here is a 63. So I was like, `let's break a record today.' I've seen really good players like Mariko fire some really low numbers, so I just wanted to be right in the mix."

Mindset from start to finish on the final hole...
"I ended up hitting a killer drive. It was the longest I've ever hit a tee shot on this hole. I just kind of set myself up with a nice uphill putt. I've birdied 18 a lot of times, so I told myself the chances of this putt going in are pretty high. So I just wanted to get a good line. I didn't read it correctly, but hey, I wasn't mad."

Talking about the team's performance overall...
"In our team meeting after the round, we talked about how this was a solid performance for all of us. I think our high for today was 74, and as a team, you're only going to be in great position if your high as a team is 74. So, I think it's great. I'm excited for us. Our goal for this season was to try and get a victory during these first three tournaments and we got it right off the bat. We are all looking great and excited to see how well we can do."

Margot and Mitch Milias Director of Women's Golf Anne Walker
Talking about the team's fast start on the front nine...
"Our energy was really good early on. Lauren (Kim) started birdie-birdie and Mariah started eagle-birdie. So, it felt like something special was going on through those first few holes. It was a buzz. Through six holes, Mariah was five under and word started spreading. All of a sudden, everyone just started showing up. It was a great time."

Quick impressions of Stackhouse's tournament performance...
"Anytime you win, it's a special time. To watch Mariah win her home tournament as a freshman, this will be something she will always remember. The one thing that really separates Mariah, at least right now, is her demeanor. She is really able to focus on whatever shot she is hitting at that moment. When you shoot 10 under, which few people ever have, you really have to be able to stay in the present. For her to go bogey-bogey and then jump back with birdie-birdie tells me she was absolutely in the moment on every shot."

On how she felt Stackhouse could bounce back midway through the back nine...
"I think around hole 13, I noticed Mariah was a little more tentative. She missed a short putt, a two-footer on 13 and then stood over it for a really long time. She never does that. She usually just steps up and hits. But Mariah got right back on it and caught herself, and that was the turning point."

Talking about the team's performance overall...
"It's interesting because yesterday we shot four over, which from the outside looking in, seemed pretty good. As a team, we didn't feel that great and felt like it was just average. We kind of left it there, wrapped it up really fast and just decided that we had more work to do as a team. Today, they came back with an attitude and were ready to play well."

Commenting on the performance of freshman Lauren Kim...
"Lauren had a great tournament, finished even par. Lauren is just a really steady player and I think we're going to see a lot of that over her career. Today, she had the potential to go low at any time. For Lauren, I always say that consistency wins at the end of the day. So I think when we look back at the end of this year, we'll see that Lauren was consistent all the time and had an incredible season. She is well on track for that."

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