Competing at one of the toughest courses it will play on all year, the Stanford women’s golf team sits in 17th place at the NCAA Preview tournament in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The team’s aggregate score is 29-over-par (613) as it moves into today’s third round of play.

EnlargeEnlarge
Junior Mari Chun has been anchoring an inexperienced Stanford squad in the early season as it competes at the NCAA Preview. The team is currently in 17th place at the tournament, but coaches and players alike are still optimistic about the season. #gallery http://daily.stanford.edu/image/full/7860
Stanford Daily File Photo

Junior Mari Chun has been anchoring an inexperienced Stanford squad in the early season as it competes at the NCAA Preview. The team is currently in 17th place at the tournament, but coaches and players alike are still optimistic about the season.

“I don’t think it was one of our best scoring days and I think we have some work to do but it’s only the beginning of the season,” said junior Ki-Shui Liao. “I think our team has a lot of potential. We still have a good chance to go out there tomorrow and play well, so I don’t know why we won’t.”

Junior Mari Chun had the top score of the day for the Cardinal, tallying a three-over-par 76 on the day, putting her in a 15th place tie individually. Freshman Rebecca Durham was close behind Chun with a four-over-par 77 while sophomore Catherina Wang chipped in with a six-over-par 79.

Duke leads the tournament, while the Pac-10 trio of USC, Arizona State and UCLA sit in second, third and fourth respectively.

The inexperienced Cardinal had a tough time at the demanding course, which will also host the NCAA Championships in May.

“It can definitely be a tough course to play well if you’re not going to be making the fairways,” Chun said. “This course really makes you pay attention and focus on each shot — each drive and approach shot. The greens are very undulated, so every single shot you are forced to focus and really put in your full concentration.

“We’ll be playing [the course] in the spring so either way we’ll have to get used to it,” Liao added. “This is a good chance to get used to the course. Every course is a little different. We’ll just have to get used to it.”

Despite their lackluster showing, the NCAA Preview has provided the Cardinal with a great opportunity to face some tough competition.

“It’s great to see the other teams play right now,” Chun said. “It gives [us] a good feel of what to look forward to. We’ll be competing against these teams pretty much all year so it’s a good chance to gauge where we’re at and where we’re working towards.”

Stanford will complete the final round of tournament play today. The team will then have two weeks off before competing in the Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational, which starts Oct. 8 in Sammamish, Wash.