via www.nmnathletics.com.edgesuite.net

There were just two holes to play for Amanda Blumenherst in the final round of the NCAA Women's Division I Championship tournament yesterday. After three consecutive titles, Duke was out of the race for the team trophy. And Blumenherst was out of the race for the individual title.

She was also outside the Top 10 - somewhere she had never before finished in college. (Repeat: In 31 previous college events, Blumenherst had never finished outside the Top 10.) She also trailed Arkansas' Stacy Lewis by one, and - perhaps - had slipped behind Lewis in the Player of the Year race. Lewis and Blumenherst entered the NCAA Championship essentially tied; which one finished ahead of the other might very well sway voters and determine who would win the Player of the Year award.

Two holes to go, outside the Top 10, trailing Lewis. But on her 17th hole - No. 8 on the course - Blumenherst showed her flair for the dramatic, and her knack for getting the job done. She holed out from the fairway - eagle - leapfrogging Lewis and jumping up to fifth. And that's where she finished.

And the photo above shows Blumenherst receiving the NGCA Player of the Year Award, her third straight.

Blumenherst is in Year 3 of what will go down as one of the greatest college golf careers ever, ranking up there with Lorena Ochoa's (nobody has ever been as dominant as Ochoa at the collegiate level, but Ochoa left school early) and Juli Inkster's. Did we mention she's never finished outside the Top 10? This year, in 11 tournaments, Blumenherst never finished lower than fifth. She tied her own school record for scoring average. She won four times. She is the first-ever three-time Player of the Year; the first-ever three-time GolfStat Cup winner. Now you know why Tiffany Joh has referred to her as "the Blumenbeast."

But as good as she is on the course, Blumenherst may be even better off the course. She won another award yesterday, the Dinah Shore Trophy Award, administered by the LPGA Foundation and given to "a female collegiate golfer who excels in both academics (3.2 on a 4.0 scale) and athletics—playing in at least 50 percent of the team’s scheduled events—while maintaining a 78.00 or less scoring average. The nominees must also demonstrate outstanding leadership skills and/or community service."

Wow, Blu blows right by those requirements:

A junior majoring in history with an English minor, Blumenherst’s athletic performance is rivaled by her academic accomplishments. She has maintained a 3.775 overall grade point average (GPA), while competing on the Blue Devil women’s golf team in all 32 events for which she has been eligible.

... Busy enough with a double major, collegiate practices, and traveling to tournaments, Blumenherst has also gained many fans in the Durham, N.C., community. She was the only freshman athlete to be a member of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and has served on the executive board for the past two years. She has taken a lead role with Project Share—a Duke athletics student-run program in which athletes ‘adopt’ families at Christmas time and provide them with presents for the holidays. In addition to being an active participant, Blumenherst insures money is collected by SAAC members, organizes the shopping sprees and wrapping parties, and oversees delivery of the gifts. She has also spent time helping local elementary students with their reading, working in a local kitchen to help feed the needy, and working with others in the Durham community to prepare dried-food meals to send to the hungry in foreign countries.

Her opponents and fellow-competitors on the course probably wish she'd show as much compassion to them.

When Annika Sorenstam announced her retirement two weeks ago, she spoke of her belief that the LPGA is in great shape for the future. She specifically mentioned Lorena Ochoa. But she could have been thinking of pro golfers not even on the LPGA Tour yet, like, perhaps, Ji Yai Shin. And she could have been thinking of amateurs like Blumenherst, Lewis and Joh.

Great golfers, and good people. The LPGA, and its fans, have a lot to look forward to.

via assets.mediaspanonline.com

Wind gusts in the mid-40s caused second-round play to be suspended twice. Joh was the only player to break 70 Wednesday and one of only three players to break par. The 60 players who completed their round averaged 76.67.

Joh admitted she doesn’t see adverse conditions very often after growing up in Southern California. ...

Even Joh, who’s known for often understating her own ability, didn’t do the same when describing Wednesday’s “tornado business.”

“It’s a challenge,” she said. “It was not fun, especially for Dewi (Claire Schreefel of USC), because I was grabbing onto her to keep from getting blown away.”

Schreefel was stern-faced as she struggled with her putter and shot 78. Joh couldn’t help but laugh, especially as she said, “I can’t wait for this to be over,” to a volunteer on the 17th hole.

Joh then hammed it up for her small gallery, pretending to use the gallery ropes to pull herself to the tee as she walked into a strong headwind.

via assets.mediaspanonline.com

The NCAA Women's Championship tournament was suspended once today due to high winds at the University of New Mexico's Championship Course, then later in the day play was halted when the winds kicked up again.

The stoppages left many golfers - at least 66 of them - with their seconds incomplete (some playing only one hole today). The Official Golfer of Waggle Room, however, got her play in early, and that leaves her in good position at the halfway point.

Tiffany Joh shot 69 today and is at 1-under, tied for fourth. Her UCLA team is tied for the lead with Southern Cal. Both UCLA and USC finished play; Alabama, one stroke back in third, has all of its players yet to complete the second round.

Some of the coaches of teams that completed play before the first stoppage were not too pleased that play was eventually halted. Ryan Herrington of Golf World's Campus Insider Blog reports:

Several coaches whose teams played all 18 holes Wednesday felt similarly to Gaston, thinking that while conditions were difficult, fairness should dictate that the afternoon pairings play in similarly adverse conditions. However, Nancy Cross, chairwoman of the NCAA Division I women's golf committee, said USGA rules officials told her that conditions had become unplayable--on four different greens golf balls wouldn’t stay still as players were attempting to putt--giving the tournament committee little choice but to stop play.

The tournament could turn into a real mess, however, with more high winds - and thunderstorms - in the schedule Thursday. Which could wind up wreaking havoc on the travel schedules of Tiffany and her Curtis Cup teammates if the tournament has to finish on Saturday rather than the scheduled Friday:

Such a scenario creates its own interesting set of issues. Not the least of which being that five of the eight players on the U.S. Curtis Cup team--Duke's Amanda Blumenherst and Jennie Lee; Arkansas' Stacy Lewis, UCLA's Tiffany Joh and Arizona's Alison Walshe--are schedule to fly over to Scotland on Saturday morning.

Team leaderboard
Individual Leaderboard

 Update: Here's a nugget from Herrington from earlier in the day:

Topping Mozo's play was UCLA’s Tiffany Joh, who carded a three-under 69. Also playing the back nine first, the junior made six birdies in her first nine holes to turn in five under, before making a double bogey on No. 1.

"I felt more like we were playing Frogger out there, trying to dodge pine cones," Joh said. "I was just trying to get through the round."

So will Duke University win its (approximately) 23rd consecutive women's golf championship? Will Amanda Blumenherst win the individual title - or at least beat Arkansas' Stacy Lewis - and claim her third straight Player of the Year award?

We'll start finding out tomorrow. The NCAA Division I women's championship takes place on the University of New Mexico golf course Tuesday through Friday. Five teams are the favorites, as the rankings agree:

While Duke is considered the favorite, it's a stretch to call them a heavy favorite, or a clear favorite.

No team is hotter than Southern Cal at the moment. USC beat UCLA by 22 strokes at the Ping/ASU tournament in early May, then beat UCLA by 26 at the PAC-10 Championship a couple weeks ago. Sagarin's computer model has both USC and UCLA ahead of Duke. And Florida has been turning heads throughout the second half of the season.

On the individual front, there are clear favorites. Two of them: Blumenherst and Lewis, and their Player of the Year race could well come down to who finishes ahead of the other.

But there are other great candidates for individual glory, too, starting with my favorite golfer, Tiffany Joh. Southern Cal's Belen Mozo and Purdue's Maria Hernandez are others who might thwart the Blu/Lew combo.

Once the tournament starts on Tuesday,  you can follow live scoring at golfstat.com , and there'll be lots of tournament coverage at golfweek.com , too.