NCAA Golf : Hurst Leads San Jose Women to Title

Sophomore Pat Hurst sank a four-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole to take individual honors and give San Jose State the team title at the National Collegiate Athletic Assn. Division I women’s golf championships Saturday.

Hurst, of San Leandro, Calif., led from start to finish, but she struggled Saturday with a final-round, four-over-par 77. She hit two birdies, four bogeys and a double bogey on the windy, 5,953-yard, par-73.

Hurst, who began the final round with a two-shot edge, finished with a four-round score of even-par 292 in the competition at the Stanford University Golf Course.

Susan Slaughter, a freshman at the University of Arizona, finished second to Hurst with a score of 294. Slaughter, who played in the final threesome with Hurst and was seven behind, made up six shots on the eventual winner during the first 13 holes. She had a one-under-par 72, one of only three sub-par rounds Saturday.

“It felt a bit like match play with Susan,” Hurst said. “I knew she was making a run at me on the 12th. I tried to keep it out of my mind. But, I thought if I parred-in (from the 12th hole), that I’d be fine.”

Arizona State’s Pearl Sinn, Donna Andrews of North Carolina and Kate Hughes of Minnesota finished tied for third at 297.

San Jose State, which was in fifth place after the first round and 14 shots behind Tulsa, the defending team champion, began the final round three shots behind the Golden Hurricanes. Heading into the final hole, San Jose State was still behind Tulsa, but made up four shots with birdies by Hurst and teammate Dina Ammaccapane. The Spartans edged Tulsa, 1,208 to 1,209.

The win for San Jose State was its second in the eight-year history of the tournament. The Spartans were victorious in 1987 in Albuquerque.

Oklahoma State was third at 1,218, Arizona fourth at 1,220 and Florida fifth at 1,230 to complete the top five teams in the 17-team field.