|
Courtney Wood Qualifies for U.S. Open 6/15/2005 Former Vanderbilt golf star Courtney Wood will become the first Commodore in history to play in the United States Open when it convenes in Cherry Hills, Colo., next week. Wood shot one-under par 68-75 to tie for third place at the sectional qualifying tournament Monday in North Barrington, Ill. Seventy-six women competed for 14 berths in Illinois while nationally there were 1,158 entries for 156 opening day spots. Wood has two Top 10 finishes including one victory on the Futures Tour since graduating from Vanderbilt a year ago. The Brentwood, Tenn., native earned both Southeastern Conference and All-America honors as a collegian, helping the Commodores win the 2004 SEC title. “I’ve been playing consistent golf and have been very close to seriously contending in a number of tournaments,” Wood says. “I just love playing and enjoy the Tour every day.” Wood, who is 28th on the Futures Tour money list, says she keeps in constant contact with Vanderbilt alumni. “I see Meredith Ward and Sarah (Jacobs Graham) quite often,” Courtney says. “In fact, I stayed at Meredith’s house for the Open qualifying because it was so near the course. I see Nicki (Cutler) every now and then as well.” Wood, contacted en route to a tournament in Decatur, Ill., says she enjoys traveling, in part because many of her best friends are also on the Tour. “This is another significant milestone for our Vanderbilt golf family,” says Vanderbilt Coach Martha Richards Freitag. “We are tremendously proud of Courtney’s achievement and wish her the very best. It means a lot to our entire program to have a representative in the U.S. Open. We have a number of talented alumni playing professionally and I expect we will be hearing good news from all of them in the near future.” The Open will be played over the par 71, 6,749-yard Cherry Hills Country Club in the Denver suburbs. Play begins June 23 and those making the 36-hole cut will continue through June 26. Wood says clothing endorsements prohibit her from wearing Vanderbilt apparel on the course but if fans look closely, they will notice her golf bag sports a Commodore. |
