Jessica Wallace’s first victory in a college tournament was a long time coming, and little did she suspect that she would be unconcerned about her final-round score.
The University of Colorado junior, a recent transfer from Pepperdine, won the CU Heather Farr Memorial Invitational on Saturday, but only after an auto accident Friday left her shaken and unsure whether she’d play in the final round.
Wallace (pictured) was one of five CU players involved in a three-car accident shortly after leaving Colorado National Golf Club in Erie, site of the 13th annual Farr tournament. Teammate Emily Talley said she was in the front car with three fellow CU golfers, while Wallace was in the second vehicle and a CU teacher of Talley’s was in the rear car.
No one was hospitalized following the crash, but three CU players who were involved withdrew before Saturday’s final 18 — Taylor Doyle, who was in third place after two rounds, and Meaghan Kari and Devin Dougherty, who were competing only as individuals.
Wallace and Talley, CU’s top two golfers, decided on Saturday morning that they could play, giving the Buffs the minimum four players they needed to stay in the team competition. And despite not being able to throw out their highest individual score on Saturday, the Buffs posted the best round of the day to win their second tournament of the season, and their sixth of all time. Colorado State placed a distant second, 16 strokes behind CU.
Wallace, meanwhile, rallied from seven shots behind to claim the individual title by one stroke. Her even-par 72 in windy conditions left her at 4-over-par 220, one stroke ahead of Colorado State’s Emily Roering.
“I wasn’t even thinking about” making a comeback for the title, Wallace said. “I didn’t know where we stood as a team and I didn’t know where I stood individually. I just wanted to go out and play golf today. Golf is what I do. It’s the best way to keep my mind off things. I just wanted to go out and hit the golf ball around. I wasn’t really concerned about the score.”
Wallace, who finished 21st in the 2010 NCAA Championships while playing for Pepperdine, recorded her third top-five performance since she started competing for CU last month.
“Especially given the week, it means a lot,” Wallace said of winning. “Having my teammates be able to come out today and have that support after yesterday, it meant the world to me.”
CU coach Anne Kelly was amazed at Wallace’s play under the circumstances.
“It was really tough on her last night,” Kelly said of Wallace. “She just wanted to play and she showed a lot of heart. I’m just so proud of her I can’t even believe it.”
Wallace was a solid player for Pepperdine for two years, but she didn’t think she was getting the coaching necessary to improve her game. But that’s changed under Kelly and CU assistant coach Brent Franklin.
“When I came here, the original plan was to be able to get help with my swing and my overall game and not just be thrown out onto the course and like (told to) “˜go play. We’re not here to help you. Go play,'” Wallace said. “I really have learned a lot since I’ve gotten here. My swing has gotten better, my short game has gotten better. There have been a lot of steps in the right direction since I’ve gotten here.
“I just didn’t think Pepperdine was making me a better player individually. We were ranked really well but golf is an individual sport. In order for me to feel like I was prepared to go pro after school, I just needed a change. It was the best decision I could have possibly made. My game just feels a lot better.”
The addition of Wallace combined with the presence of Talley (four straight top-10s to start the season) has helped the Buffs break into the nation’s top 25 this season. CU is ranked anywhere from No. 15 to 21 in the country, depending on the poll. So far this season, the Buffs haven’t finished outside the top three at any tournament, placing first, third, second and first.
Saturday’s performance certainly won’t soon be forgotten, especially by those involved in Friday night’s accident.
“I think we’re all sore and whatever, but it’s kind of cool to go through what we did and still have Jess win and we win as a team,” said Talley, the Big 12 Conference’s Women’s Golfer of the Month for September. “It’s kind of an exciting way to go through a tournament.”
But for Kelly, she’s just happy that none of her players were seriously injured in the weekend auto wreck.
“Cars can be fixed, but people are a lot harder,” she said. “It was pretty much a miracle that they all walked away as well off as they did.
“They showed more heart today than I even thought they had, coming out and playing. I couldn’t be more proud of them. Whether we won or didn’t win today really didn’t matter. Them just coming out and playing hard for one another is a real tribute to my team.”
CU Heather Farr Memorial Invitational
At Par-72 Colorado National GC in Erie
Team scores —
1. Colorado 290-300-303–893; 2. Colorado State 291-304-314–909; 3. Fresno State 306-297-313–916; 4. Portland State 308-306-313–927; 5. Northern Iowa 300-312-317–929; 6. Eastern Michigan 303-316-313–932; 7. Wyoming 311-303-319–933; 8. Nevada 294-317-323–934; 9. Montana State 312-311-320–943; 10. Weber State 313-329-324–966; 11. Northern Colorado 322-329-332–983.
Top individuals —
1. Jessica Wallace, CU, 73-75-72–220; 2. Emily Roering, CSU, 71-73-77–221; 3. Louisa Lies, Fresno State, 72-69-81–222; 4. (tie) Brianna Espinoza, CSU, 71-76-78–225; Krysta Clark, Fresno State, 77-77-71–225; 6. (tie) Kristin Coleman, CU, 72-75-79–226; Robyn Scott, E. Michigan, 77-73-76–226; Darby Peters, E. Michigan, 70-76-80–226; Joyce Chong, Nevada, 74-74-78–226; 10. Emily Talley, CU, 75-75-77–227.
CU individuals —
1. Jessica Wallace 73-75-72–220; 6. Kristin Coleman 72-75-79–226; 10. Emily Talley 75-75-77–227; 12. Jennifer Coleman 74-80-75–229; Taylor Doyle 71-75-WD; Competed only as individuals: 14. Tessa The 79-75-77–231; 36. Jamie Befort 78-82-79–239; Meaghan Kari 73-77-WD; Devin Dougherty 82-87-WD.
CSU individuals —
2. Emily Roering 71-73-77–221; 4. Brianna Espinoza 71-76-78–225; 14. 14. Sarah Roering 74-77-80–231; 19. Betsy Kelly 75-78-80–233; 44. Cecelie Krefting 77-86-79–242; Competing only as an individual: 50. Christina Spinzig 82-84-81–247.
UNC individuals —
29. Carleigh Silvers 78-79-80–237; 48. Emily Dougherty 78-86-81–245; 51. Ali Nelson 79-85-84–248; 55. Hannah McNeley 87-79-87–253; 59. Abby McNeley 91-86-89–266.
