Bronchos Finish 8th

5/19/2012 4:44:00 PM

Chaney Uhles

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (May 19) – Chaney Uhles capped off a brilliant sophomore season with a fifth-place finish in the NCAA Division II Women's Golf Championships here Saturday to lead Central Oklahoma to an eight-place showing in its first-ever national tournament appearance.

Uhles shot a final-round 76 at the tough Persimmon Ridge Golf Club to finish the 72-hole tournament with a 306 total in tying for fifth, the best-ever national finish for a UCO women's player.

The Bronchos closed with a 322 and moved up one spot in the final standings with a 1,303 total. Nova Southeastern won the national title at 1,234, followed by Florida Southern (1,254), Grand Canyon (1,273) and Barry (1,284).

Uhles' 76 led the way in the final round, while Taylor Neidy shot 78, Lindsey Bensch 81, Tressa Brumley 87 and Mychael McWhorter 88.

“Chaney had a great tournament and I'm really proud of the way she played all week,” head coach Michael Bond said. “She got off to a rough start today, but didn't get rattled and did a nice job keeping things together.

“We didn't have the tournament we wanted to, but it was a great learning experience for us and something we can use to build on next year.”

Uhles, one of four underclassmen on the five-man team, ended the year with seven top-five finishes and placed first, first, third and fifth in the final four tournaments.

She got off to a tough start Saturday, opening with three straight bogeys while starting play on the back nine. Uhles steadied herself with a par on the par-4 13^th hole – her fourth of the day – and then rattled off three straight birdies to get back to even par before double bogeying No. 18 for a front-nine 38.

Uhles started the back nine with consecutive bogeys, but then played the final seven holes one-under with six pars and a birdie on her next-to-last hole of the day.

Neidy bogeyed four of her first five holes en route to making the turn at 41 and then made back-to-back bogeys to start the back nine before rallying to play the final seven holes one-under. Her back-nine 37 gave her a closing 78 that lifted her into a tie for 16^th in the medalist standings with a 318 total.

Bensch made the turn at six-over 42 before coming back with a 39 behind a pair of birdies.

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