Jodi Ewart (left) and Sally Watson (right), Curtis Cup team-mates in 2008 over the Old Course (images by Cal Carson Golf Agency).

Jodi Ewart, Sally Watson finish in top

10 in strongest US college field

Yorkshire's Jodi Ewart (University of New Mexico) and Scotland's Sally Watson (Stanford University, California) finished joint sixth and eighth respectively in the strongest United States women's college circuit field to assemble at the same venue this year.

The occasion was the Ping/ASU Invitational over the Karsten golf course at Tempe, Arizona.

Jodi Ewart, who is coming to the end of her four years at New Mexico and has told the GB&I Curtis Cup selectors that she will be turning professional BEFORE the match against the United States in June, shot rounds of 72, 72 and 67 for a five-under-par total of 211 over the 6,230yd, par-72 course.

Sally also had three very good rounds in very good company and over a testing course. Sally and Jodi were Curtis Cup team-mates in the 2008 match over the Old Course, St Andrews.

Miss Watson, who hails from South Queensferry, had rounds of 71, 72 and 69 for a four-under tally of 212.

A double bogey 6 at the ninth in her second round probably cost the Scot sixth place on her own. In all, the long-hitting Watson had 12 birdies over the 54-hole contest, five of them in her final round - at the long fifth, par-4 eighth, long 10th, short 12th and long 14th. She bogeyed the short seventh and par-4 18th.

Ellie Givens (Denver), from Darlington, tied for 42nd place with scores of 73, 73 and 77 for 223.

Former British women's open amateur stroke-play champion Roseanne Niven (California) from Crieff shared 51st place with scores of 74, 76 and 75 for 225.

The individual winner was Stephanie Kono (University of California-Las Vegas) with scores of 71, 70 and 66 for a nine-under total of 209 - one shot ahead of Jennifer Song (Southern California), one of the US Curtis Cup team selections for this year's match, according to Golfweek.

UCLA (856) won the team title ahead of home-course team Arizona State (856) with Southern California (858) third, New Mexico (863) fourth, Purdue (865) fifth and Denver (865) sixth. Stanford finished 10th in the 17-team field.

FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO WEBSITE

Senior Jodi Ewart and sophomore Rebecca Hellbom (from Sweden) each shot 5-under 67 to propel 24th-ranked New Mexico to one of the best rounds in school history in the final round of the PING/ASU Invitational.
The Lobos shot a 10-under 278, the second-lowest total and the second-best score in relation to par ever by a New Mexico team. UNM's 278 was the lowest round by any team in a tournament that featured 12 of the nation's top-29 schools.
Ewart and Hellbom tied a UNM record by playing a round in 5-under. It had been accomplished five previous times by three UNM golfers, including Ewart at the 2009 Branch Law Firm Dick McGuire. The 67 was a career-best for both golfers and one stroke shy of the Lobo mark set by Kailin Downs at the 2004 Mountain West Conference Championships.

Hellbom ended in a tie for third with a 7-under 209 (71-71-67) - her best 54-hole total at UNM and just one shot off the school mark set by Ewart at the 2009 McGuire.
"It was just really solid," said Hellbom of the lowest round of her playing career. "The hit the fairways and made a lot of putts."

Ewart, who had matched the par of 72 in both her first rounds, caught fire in the third and final round with four straight birdies between holes 3 and 6. She made a bogey at 8 before adding birdies at 10 and 13 in halves of 32 and 35.
"I got off to a great start. The four straight birdies got me going," said Ewart, who went into the tournament ranked as the No. 6 ranked US women's collegiate. "My approach shots were really good. This gives us a lot of confidence going into the conference championships."

FROM THE STANFORD UNIVERSITY WEBSITE

Stanford shot a third round team score of 288 to finish 10th at the PING/ASU Invitational held at the Karsten Course in Tempe, Ariz.
top five.
Freshman Sally Watson fired a final round 69 to finish in eighth place in a field of 90, five strokes behind medalist Stephanie Kono of UCLA (207; -9). Jennifer Song of USC finished one stroke off the pace at 208.
Stanford will next be in action at the Pac-10 Championships, set for April 19-21 at the Eugene (Oregon) Country Club.

LEADING INDIVIDUAL TOTALS

Par 216 (Par 72) 6230yd

207 Stephanie Kono (UCLA) 71 70 66.

208 Jennifer Song (Southern California) 69 70 69.

209 Caroline Hedwall (Oklahoma State) 70 72 67, Rebecca Hellbom (New Mexico) 71 71 67.

210 Kimberley Kim (Denver) 72 69 69.

211 Jodi Ewart (New Mexico) 72 72 67, Lizette Salas (Southern California) 69 72 70.

212 Sally Watson (Stanford) 71 72 69.

Selected scores:

223 Ellie Givens (Denver) 73 73 77 (jt 42nd).

225 Roseanne Niven (California) 74 76 75 (jt 51st).

LEADING TEAM TOTALS

856 UCLA. 857 Arizona State. 858 Southern California. 863 New Mexico. 864 Purdue. 865 Denver. 868 Arizona. 874 Alabama. 875 Oklahoma. 876 Stanford. 17 Teams took part.