Fort Collins, Colo. - Senior Stephanie Ruiz led the Nebraska women's golf team to a seventh-place finish at the Ptarmigan Ram Fall Classic Tuesday after shooting one-under par and tying for fifth place with 215 (69-71-75) to open the Huskers' 2005 fall schedule.
The Edmond, Okla., native entered Tuesday's final round in a tie for second after shooting a career-low 69 in Monday's opening round, before closing the tournament's first day with a one-under par 71. Ruiz added a solid round of 75 to earn the fourth top-five finish of her career.
"I'm really excited for Steph," Coach Robin Krapfl said. "I thought she played great. I expect her to come out and play solid, but today she did that and more. She put a lot of effort in this past year and she made great strides with her game."
The Huskers opened the day in sixth place and finished 33-over par with 897 (296-300-301) in the 18-team field.
Baylor owned a sizeable lead heading into the third round and finished five-under par for the tournament at 859 (287-277-295), 15 strokes better than second-place New Mexico.
Senior Sara Sackett improved from Monday's scores of 77 for both rounds by shooting 71 in the third round to finish in a tie for 25th place with 225 after starting the day in a tie for 47th place. Sophomore Elli Brown also improved from her position in a tie for 37th place by finishing in a tie for 33rd with a final round score of 75.
Senior Jackie Beste and junior Chrissie McArdle both turned in third-round scores of 80, while Beste dropped down to a tie for 41st place and McArdle finished in a tie for 54th.
Krapfl said she was pleased with the overall performance from her team, but was disappointed in their final placing. It was a good, competitve field to start the year in, Krapfl said.
"We did some really great things," Krapfl said. "We found some things we need to work on. Overall, I thought it was a good first tournament. We're a solid team and I'm really confident about the rest of the year. The main thing is that we want to build off of this experience and improve each and every tournament."
Ptarmigan Invitational
Ptarmigan Country Club, Fort Collins, Colo.
Par 72, 6,224 Yards
Team Standings
1. Baylor - 287-277-295-859
2. New Mexico - 293-289-292-874
3. Fresno State - 294-291-297-882
4. Long Beach State - 291-298-887
5. Colorado State - 286-299-308-893
6.Kansas - 304-293-297-894
7. Nebraska - 296-300-301-897
8. Denver - 302-305-298-905
9. San Jose State - 298-303-306-907
10. Colorado - 304-308-312-924
11. San Francisco - 303-309-317-929
12. Texas- El Paso - 305-324-301-930
13. Northern Colorado - 301-312-320-933
14. Arkansas State - 307-315-314-936
15. Montana State - 309-316-313-938
16. Weber State - 321-319-308-948
17. Gonzaga - 325-313-313-951
18. Wyoming - 320-320-327-967
Nebraska Individual Standings
T5. Stephanie Ruiz- 69-71-75-215
T25. Sara Sackett- 77-77-71-225
T33. Elli Brown- 77-75-75-227
T41. Jackie Beste- 73-77-80-230
T54. Chrissie McArdle- 77-77-80-234