Lemke Shoots 79 in Second Round of NCAA Regionals

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Creighton freshman Katherine Lemke fired a 79 -- a five shot improvement over her score in Monday's first round -- in second round action of the NCAA Regionals in Ann Arbor, Mich. Lemke moved from 66th place following Monday to 61st place among players in the field who have played in all 36 holes of the event to date.

The first postseason qualifier in program history, Lemke teed off at 7:55 a.m. Central on No. 10 and was just 2-over par through eight holes in Tuesday's round. She made the turn in 38 (+3), then parred the No. 1 hole as she transitioned to the front nine. Lemke would bogey the subsequent five holes before finishing with pars on 7, 8 and 9 to break 80 for the 26th time this season.

Lemke earned her spot in the NCAA Regionals by virtue of winning a playoff at the BIG EAST Championship on April 23rd, becoming Creighton's first BIG EAST individual champion in any sport when she rolled in a 20-foot putt on the first playoff hole. Her 213 total at the tournament was the best 54-hole score for Creighton in any event since at least 2003-04 and a figure that hasn't been surpassed by any player on any team at the league championship since 2013. It helped the Geneva, Ill., product be named First Team All-BIG EAST, BIG EAST Freshman of the Year and land a spot on the BIG EAST's All-Tournament Team.

Lemke has now played 32 rounds this season, with four of those under par. Her 76.31 scoring average is the best by a Bluejay since at least 2003-04 and has helped her to four top-five finishes in 10 completed events. Prior to earning medalist honors at the BIG EAST Championship, she had won the Creighton Classic on Oct. 12 and finished as the runner-up on April 12th at Stampede at the Creek. Entering NCAA Regionals, GolfStat ranked Lemke as the ninth-best golfer in the BIG EAST Conference.

San Jose State's Natasha Andrea Oon is the only player in the field with back-to-back sub-par rounds, as she followed up Monday's 70 with Tuesday's 69 to own a one-shot lead over Virginia's Jennifer Cleary (-2). Cleary's 67 on Tuesday is the best round of the Regional thus far. The only other player in the Regional that is currently par or better is Arkansas' Ela Anacona, who is at even par at 142 after loops of 69 and 73.

Virginia shot the best round of the tournament, a 3-under 281, to bounce from fourth to first place in the team standings with a 575 team score through 36 holes. The Cavaliers own a three-shot edge over San Jose State (578), with Arkansas (+14) and host Michigan (+25) also in prime position to advance to the NCAA Championships. On the outside looking in in fifth place is Washington (+30). BIG EAST champion Xavier fell from a tie for sixth place to 11th place after following up Monday's 299 with a 310 on Tuesday. The Musketeers are 19 shots ahead of 12th place Oakland.

The University of Michigan Golf Course features a 6,265 yard layout and owns a par of 71. The Ann Arbor venue is one of six regional sites, with 72 total teams and 36 individuals invited to the 2022 NCAA postseason. Each regional site features 12 teams and six individuals, with the top four teams (24 total) and top two individuals (12 total) not on an advancing team heading to the national finals at the Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz., Friday through Wednesday, May 20-25

Play wraps up on Wednesday at the NCAA Regionals, with Lemke's tee time once again set for 7:55 a.m. Central off the No. 10 tee.

Players Mentioned

Katherine Lemke

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