Carlow sisters help Kent State to 21st

Sisters Tara and Karen Delaney helped Kent State University to a 21st-place finish at the 2006 NCAA Women’s Golf Championships in Ohio but neither of the Carlow siblings will be happy with their contributions.

Sophomore Tara Delaney recovered from a third-round 85 to shoot a final-day 78 at Ohio State’s, Jack Nicklaus-designed Scarlet Course to finish with a 315 total (76-76-85-78) and tie for 98th.

Junior Karen Delaney, one year older at 21 years of age than her sister, tied for 120th with a 326 total (85-81-80-80).

Tara had had a standout season to that point, leading the Ohio-based university to the national finals as the Mid-American Conference Player of the Year and with a tie for fourth place at the NCAA Central Region qualifier two weeks ago.

But she ran out of steam in the last tournament of the season as team-mate and fellow sophomore Kira Meixner led the way for Kent State with a tie for 12th place, after shooting a final-round 74 to post a total of 295 and capture KSU’s best finish at the NCAA championship tournament.

Duke won its second-consecutive NCAA Division I title and fourth in women’s golf after finishing at +15, 10 shots ahead of No. 2-ranked Southern California.

Dewi Schreefel of Southern California was the individual champion for the event.

The NCAA Division I Men’s Championship gets under way in Oregon on Wednesday when Irishmen Cian McNamara, Gareth Shaw and Niall Turner will tee it up with America’s best collegiate golfers.

Shaw, from Lisburn, and Limerick’s McNamara are part of an all-British and Irish team representing East Tennessee State University, led by Welshman Rhys Davies, who is ranked fourth in the US standings. It is ETSU’s first trip to the NCAA finals since 2001.

Cork’s Turner, meanwhile, has helped the University of Minnesota to the national finals, which are hosted by the University of Portland at the par-72, 7,630-yard Crosswater Golf Club at the Sunriver Resort in Oregon.

The 72-hole tournament consists of 30 teams and the nation's top six individuals not on those teams.

All 156 players will compete over 54 holes before Saturday's final round is cut to the top 15 teams and top six individuals not on an advancing team.