The women’s NCAA Golf Championships will be held about 450 miles from the University of Denver, but DU junior Katie Kempter will probably be first or second on the list of hometown favorites at the tournament.

      The University of New Mexico Championship Course in Albuquerque will host the event May 20-23. UNM didn’t qualify as a team, but Lobos senior Alexandra Phelps — who also grew up in Albuquerque and won a state high school title there — made the individual field and figures to draw considerable galleries.

       Kempter likewise figures to get plenty of hometown support and attention. She was born in Albuquerque 21 years ago and starred at Sandia High School, winning a state title while there. And now she’s going back home for the most important tournament in women’s college golf.

       “I’m real excited,” Kempter said. “My dad told me when UNM got the tournament (in October 2004), ‘If the team (DU) is ever good enough to qualify, that would be cool.’ And it is. It’s special to go, especially with a team I feel so deeply about. I’m going to have fun and enjoy it. I’m not going to have the chance to play in an event like this in my hometown ever again, so I’m going to embrace the opportunity.”

       Last year marked the first time in DU history that the women’s golf team qualified for the NCAA finals — it finished 20th — and making it back was a big priority for many reasons, including the fact that Kempter would be able to compete in her hometown.

       Kempter’s dad is a regular at the UNM course, and Katie figures she probably plays there 20 times per year.

       “I know the ins and outs of the course, which I think help,” she said.

DU’s Kempter Will Feel Right at Home at NCAA Finals

Native of Albuquerque knows University of New Mexico course very well

By Gary Baines

Colorado Golf Journal, Thursday, May 15, 2008

“I’m sure Katie will use her knowledge of the course,” DU coach Sammie Chergo said. “She’s probably played there 200 times. It’s a nice asset for us to have as far as sharing knowledge of the course. We’ll definitely use her experience.”

      Kempter, who owns two wins and five top-five finishes this season, brings DU’s No. 2 stroke average (74.2) into the NCAA Championships. Sophomore Stephanie Sherlock, the two-time Sun Belt Conference champion, stands at 73.97. Rounding out the lineup for DU are junior Dawn Shockley (75.07), senior Chelsea Benton (75.27) and freshman Ellie Givens (75.95).

      Sun Belt champion DU, winner of five tournaments this season, is seeded ninth in the 24-team field, and hopes to have some advantages at UNM.

      “For me personally it’s a good course, and I think it sets up well for the team, too,” Kempter said. “We have long hitters and good putters. I think it also helps us that it’s the same altitude as Denver. It’s good that we don’t have to adjust clubs like we do when we play at sea level. There won’t be any extra calculations.”

      That was part of the problem for DU last season at the NCAA finals. Last year, the Pioneers competed at a site that was less than ideal in Daytona Beach, Fla., at sea level, and with bermuda grass. In addition, Sherlock became ill during the tournament and didn’t play on Day 2, when the Pioneers struggled.

      “I think we learned from last year,” Chergo said. “We have five players who have all proven themselves. It’s a nice mix who can all shoot low scores, and that helps take the pressure off.”

      Said Kempter: “If we can get into the top five, that would be good. And if things go right, I think we have a good chance to win.”

      Kempter finished 93rd a year ago at nationals, and is coming off a season-high round of 83 at the NCAA regionals, but those numbers figure to be a distant memory when she tees it up in Albuquerque.

      “I haven’t felt any better about my game than I do now,” she said. “I’m a lot more in touch with who I am as a player. It’s fun to look back two years and see how far I’ve come.”

“It’s special to go, especially with a team I feel
so deeply about,” Kempter said. “I’m going
to have fun and enjoy it. I’m not going to have
the chance to play in an event like this in my hometown ever again, so I’m going to embrace
the opportunity.”