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July 17, 2000
AUBURN- SEC Player of the Year Celeste Troche of Auburn
claimed her first major women's amateur title by defeating Curtis Cup
Champion Brenda Corrie Kuehn 5-and-4 in the 36-hole match play final of
the 70th Trans National Championship at Houndslake Country Club in
Aiken, S.C., Saturday.
The Asuncion, Paraguay, native took an early lead, going 4-up
after the first nine holes, but the lead was trimmed to 2-up after 14.
Troche then birdied three consecutive holes on 15, 16 and 17 to end the
morning round 5-up. She did not miss a fairway the entire match and had
only one three putt en route to making seven bogeys and only two bogeys.
"I'm very excited," Troche, a soon-to-be sophomore said.
"I still can't believe it. I had to fight each match, play my own
game, do my best on each shot. I hit it straight, didn't really get
into any trouble, and I putted well."
In her quarterfinal match Friday morning against Florida
sophomore Jeanne Cho, Troche was 2-under par for her round and was 3
down at one point during the match. Troche won on the second playoff
hole with a birdie. She came out in her Friday afternoon semifinal
match against Laura Coble and made seven birdies on the first eight
holes to turn with a 29 and a commanding 7-up lead.
"I don't think I've ever had seven birdies in 18 holes,
let alone nine holes," said Troche, who went on to defeat Coble
7-and-6. "I was just playing one hole at a time, one shot at a time,
trying to keep myself in the present."
Troche carded eight top-10 finishes in 11 tournaments as a Tiger
freshman this past year, including four top-5 finishes. She had a
team-best 75.12 stroke average, the third lowest in Auburn history and
the lowest by a Tiger freshman.
Troche will represent her native Paraguay in the World Team
Amateur Championship in Berlin, Germany, Aug. 23-26.
Troche winning the Trans National Championship is just one of
many recent great acomplishments by members of the Auburn golf program.
Teammates Courtney Swaim and Danielle Downey both qualified for the U.S.
Women's Amateur along with former stars Virginia Derby-Grimes and
Katie Gallina.
Downey won the New York State Women's Amateur for the second
consecutive year, and Derby-Grimes will play in the United States
Women's Open this week at The Merit Club in Gurnee, Ill.
Derby-Grimes will tee of at 7:55 am Central in Thursday's first round
from the No. 1 tee and begin Friday's second round off the 10th tee at
12:40 am.
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