Delaneys prepare assault on NCAA Championships

Carlow sisters Tara and Karen Delaney tee it up next week for the first time in 2007 as Kent State University begins its bid for a return to the US collegiate national finals, the NCAA Championships.

The Delaneys helped the Golden Flashes to the NCAA finals in Oregon last May for the first time in three years and senior Karen and junior Tara open up on Monday in the 54-hole Northrup Grumman Regional Challenge at Palos Verdes, California.

Tara, 21, won the first tournament of the campaign in September, following on from her appearance last July on the GB & Ireland Curtis Cup team. A year older, Karen is in her final year and is head coach Mike Morrow’s team leader. Morrow believes this spring season could be a breakout campaign.

“The nationals are our ultimate goal,” Morrow said. “We’re still a young team and we’re going to get better but, I tell you, we’re really close to being a super team.”

Tara Delaney was ranked 50th in the latest US collegiate individual rankings published by Golfweek magazine this week while three Irishmen feature in the men’s top 50. East Tennessee State freshman Seamus Power, from Waterford leads the way in 42nd spot following his runner-up finish at the PING Arizona Intercollegiate last week, while ETSU team-mate Gareth Shaw, of Lisburn, also climbed the rankings to 45th and Corkman Niall Turner, a senior at Minnesota, is 48th.

The rarity of a fog and rain-shortened event in Mexico this week hampered Dubliner Dawn-Marie Conaty’s hopes of a strong start to the spring season with the University of Memphis. Dense fog in Ensenada on Monday shortened the second round on day one of the Baja Invitational before rain forced a cancellation of the third and final rounds.

This left Conaty tied for 32nd place after she registered a 14-over-par 158 (82-76) with Memphis finishing seventh of the 15 teams.