Klein Captures NCAA Golf Title

Emilee Klein survived an early string of bogeys to shoot a final-round one-over-par 74 to win the NCAA women’s golf championship Saturday by two strokes over Arizona State teammate Wendy Ward.

Klein, a former Notre Dame High standout, completed four trips around a hilly, wet and windy West Linn, Ore., course at six-under-par 286. Arizona State won the team title with a score of 1,189--16 shots ahead of second-place USC.

USC’s Heidi Voorhees, another former Notre Dame High player, shot a nine-over-par 82 to finish in a tie for 16th place at 306.

Klein, a 19-year-old sophomore, started the day with a two-stroke lead over Ward and Furman junior Caroline Peek. It evaporated quickly. She had a bogey on the first hole, a double bogey on the third and a bogey on the fourth.

“I tried to pump myself back up,” Klein said. “If you have a one-hole turnaround, it makes a difference.”

The early trouble temporarily dropped her two shots behind Ward, but she recovered fast.

Klein had birdies on five and six. She had pars the rest of the way, except for the 131-yard 12th, where she hit a 6-iron three feet from the cup and made birdie.

Ward, a junior, was only one shot back heading to 17, but she three-putted for a bogey.

Klein expects to play in several tournaments this summer, including the U.S. Women’s Amateur, before turning pro.

Baseball

Montclair Prep baseball Coach Walt Steele, who led the Mounties to Southern Section championships in 1990 and 1991, said he would like to resign so he could pursue a master’s degree, but it’s not official yet.

“I’d like this to be the last year,” Steele said, “but I have to sit down with (Athletic Director) Greg Reece and (Principal) (Vernon) Simpson.”

The Mounties were eliminated from the Division IV playoffs Friday with a 6-5 loss to San Marino. Steele, 37, has coached Montclair Prep since 1988.

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Harvard-Westlake High catcher Jon Schaeffer has been selected as one of 64 baseball players to participate in the U.S. Olympic Festival, July 1-10 in St. Louis.

Schaeffer, who has signed to play college baseball at Stanford, finished his senior season with a .474 average, six home runs and 29 runs batted in.

Chatsworth shortstop Bryan LaCour, also a Stanford signee, will be one of Schaeffer’s teammates for the West team at the Festival.