Clau takes third place, leads Demon Deacons to fourth
By Matt Gallagher
Old Gold and Black Reporter

While the university’s campus may be getting colder and cloudier as we shift into autumn, the Deacs golf team continues to shine some light on the school with its strong early-season play.

At the Tar Heel Invitational, held Oct. 5-7 at Finley Golf Course in Chapel Hill, the Demon Deacons shot a combined 921 to seize fourth place overall in the tourney.
Leading the attack was junior Nuria Clau, who uncorked a seven-over-par score of 223 to capture a third-place individual standing.

The Demon Deacons started off the weekend poorly, and were stuck in sixth place overall after the first day of play. However, the team clawed its way up the standings during the course of the weekend, reaching fifth place Oct. 6 and moving up one place again on the final day of golf.

Clau, after shooting 75 the first day for 14th place, leapfrogged her way through the muddle and the heavy rain the second day to fire a 74 — a score and a place she held entering the third and final day of competition.

Only Duke’s Kristina Engstrom and Vanderbilt’s Nicki Cutler were able to fend off Clau’s second day charge. Duke also out-dueled the competition to grab hold of the team title, after unloading a team score of 893.

“I didn’t putt as well as I could have, but overall, it was solid and consistent,” said Clau, describing her game.

“Right now, I’m just hitting the ball real well.”

Meanwhile, the rest of the Lady Deacons rolled through the Tar Heel tourney as well.
Sophomore Deborah Means blasted a 234 to snatch 27th place. Senior Katie Brenny and freshman Christine Hallstrom tied one another at 32nd place with a score of 235.
Junior Caroline Stetler rounded out the team’s numbers, shooting a 242 to finish 50th overall.

Ironically, the Deacons’ second-best showing of the weekend came from a player not entered as part of the team’s score.

Junior Maria Beautell, who was admitted into the invitational just as an individual, posted a 232 overall score, which locked up a 21st-place finish. Senior Camille Lee also competed individually, but dropped out of competition after the first day.

The golf squad this year is incredibly young, and seems to improve its game every weekend.

Salem College alum Dianne Dailey coaches the team; this is her 14th season at the helm of the Wake Forest women’s golf program.

Only three seniors oversee the rest of the youthful Lady Deacons — Brenny, Lee and Veronica Prado-Lacoste. Three juniors, one sophomore and three freshmen constitute the remainder of the team’s lineup.

“We’ve been doing better in every tournament we play, and we will continue to go out there and do our best,” said Clau.

The Demon Deacons will continue their season at the Lady Paladin Invitational, being held Oct. 26-28 at Furman University in Greenville, S.C.