K-State Climbs Four Spots During Second Round
Feb 03, 2025 | Women's Golf
RIO GRANDE, Puerto Rico – With a pair of players in red numbers, the Kansas State women's golf team moved four spots up the leaderboard during Monday's second round of the Puerto Rico Classic held at the par-72, 6,305-yard Grand Reserve Golf Club.
The 30th-ranked Wildcats put together a second-round score of 1-under par 287 – one of only five under-par rounds on the day – as they moved into a tie for seventh place with a 36-hole score of 5-over par 581. K-State is tied with No. 22 Michigan State, while the Wildcats are a shot behind a fifth-place tie between 16th-ranked LSU and 20th-ranked Auburn. K-State and Michigan State hold a four-shot lead on the ninth-place team, No. 37 Georgia Southern.
"The ladies did a really good job again today. It's always nice to move up the leaderboard, but I was more impressed with their composure in the challenging conditions and how they really stuck to the task and managed their emotions throughout," head coach Stew Burke said. "Carla (Bernat) and Julia (Ballester Barrio) played very good golf and were backed up by their teammates. As a coach, it's always great to see the ladies disappointed with a team score that was under par and knowing we could have gotten more out of the day. However, we are looking forward to tomorrow's challenge and continuing to play the golf we know we are capable of."
K-State was paced on Monday by senior Carla Bernat, who bounced back from just her fourth over-par round of the season on Sunday by carding a 3-under par 69. Beginning on the back 9, the Castellon, Spain, product played her first nine holes bogey-free at 4-under par, while she went 1-over par with two birdies over her second nine.
With her sixth round in the 60s this season and 31st of her collegiate career, Bernat moved 35 spots up the leaderboard into a tie for 15th place at even-par 144. Her 35-place jump was the second highest of any individual on Monday behind Minnesota's Isabella McCauley, who rose 41 spots.
The Wildcats received a score of 1-under par 71 from sophomore Julia Ballester Barrio, a nine-stroke improvement on her first-round tally and the best round of her season thus far. After playing her first 10 holes at even par with a birdie and a bogey, Ballester Barrio had three-straight birdies on Nos. 3 through 5 before a pair of bogeys toward the end of the round.
Also a native of Castellon, Spain, Ballester Barrio rose 19 spots up the leaderboard into a tie for 72nd place at 7-over par 151.
Junior Noa van Beek improved her first-round total by one shot as she carded a 1-over par 73 on Monday, and she enters the final round tied for 37th place at 3-over par 147. Senior Sophie Bert and freshman Nanami Nakashima are tied for 45th place at 4-over par 148. Bert carded a second-consecutive round of 2-over par 74, while Nakashima went 5-over par 77.
No. 15 Vanderbilt holds a five-shot lead over second-place and 19th-ranked Ole Miss at 11-under par 656. No. 2 Arkansas – which turned in the round of the day at 8-under par 280 – is in third place at 4-under par 572.
Northwestern's Lauryn Nguyen is first on the individual leaderboard at 6-under par 138. She holds a one-shot lead over Arkansas' Maria Jose Marin and Ole Miss' Sophie Linder, each of whom made an 11-spot improvement on the leaderboard on Monday.
The final round of the Puerto Rico Classic tees off with a 7:30 a.m. (AT) shotgun start on Tuesday as the Wildcats will be paired with Auburn, LSU and Michigan State. Live results are available at Golfstat.com or by clicking here.
The 30th-ranked Wildcats put together a second-round score of 1-under par 287 – one of only five under-par rounds on the day – as they moved into a tie for seventh place with a 36-hole score of 5-over par 581. K-State is tied with No. 22 Michigan State, while the Wildcats are a shot behind a fifth-place tie between 16th-ranked LSU and 20th-ranked Auburn. K-State and Michigan State hold a four-shot lead on the ninth-place team, No. 37 Georgia Southern.
"The ladies did a really good job again today. It's always nice to move up the leaderboard, but I was more impressed with their composure in the challenging conditions and how they really stuck to the task and managed their emotions throughout," head coach Stew Burke said. "Carla (Bernat) and Julia (Ballester Barrio) played very good golf and were backed up by their teammates. As a coach, it's always great to see the ladies disappointed with a team score that was under par and knowing we could have gotten more out of the day. However, we are looking forward to tomorrow's challenge and continuing to play the golf we know we are capable of."
K-State was paced on Monday by senior Carla Bernat, who bounced back from just her fourth over-par round of the season on Sunday by carding a 3-under par 69. Beginning on the back 9, the Castellon, Spain, product played her first nine holes bogey-free at 4-under par, while she went 1-over par with two birdies over her second nine.
With her sixth round in the 60s this season and 31st of her collegiate career, Bernat moved 35 spots up the leaderboard into a tie for 15th place at even-par 144. Her 35-place jump was the second highest of any individual on Monday behind Minnesota's Isabella McCauley, who rose 41 spots.
The Wildcats received a score of 1-under par 71 from sophomore Julia Ballester Barrio, a nine-stroke improvement on her first-round tally and the best round of her season thus far. After playing her first 10 holes at even par with a birdie and a bogey, Ballester Barrio had three-straight birdies on Nos. 3 through 5 before a pair of bogeys toward the end of the round.
Also a native of Castellon, Spain, Ballester Barrio rose 19 spots up the leaderboard into a tie for 72nd place at 7-over par 151.
Junior Noa van Beek improved her first-round total by one shot as she carded a 1-over par 73 on Monday, and she enters the final round tied for 37th place at 3-over par 147. Senior Sophie Bert and freshman Nanami Nakashima are tied for 45th place at 4-over par 148. Bert carded a second-consecutive round of 2-over par 74, while Nakashima went 5-over par 77.
No. 15 Vanderbilt holds a five-shot lead over second-place and 19th-ranked Ole Miss at 11-under par 656. No. 2 Arkansas – which turned in the round of the day at 8-under par 280 – is in third place at 4-under par 572.
Northwestern's Lauryn Nguyen is first on the individual leaderboard at 6-under par 138. She holds a one-shot lead over Arkansas' Maria Jose Marin and Ole Miss' Sophie Linder, each of whom made an 11-spot improvement on the leaderboard on Monday.
The final round of the Puerto Rico Classic tees off with a 7:30 a.m. (AT) shotgun start on Tuesday as the Wildcats will be paired with Auburn, LSU and Michigan State. Live results are available at Golfstat.com or by clicking here.
– k-statesports.com –
How to follow the Cats: For complete information on K-State Women's Golf, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team's social media channels on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.
How to follow the Cats: For complete information on K-State Women's Golf, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team's social media channels on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.
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