One good round at Gold Mountain in Bremerton in the sectional qualifier on June 6th and Sandy Vaughan (right) will be teeing it up at the US Open. The Viking sophomore, who had a stroke average of 74.9 this season, shot a level-par 71 at Tumble Creek in Roslyn in local qualifying Thursday to finish among a group of five players tied for fifth. With eight players advancing, Vaughan went into a playoff for the last four spots with Spokane's Corey Prugh - brother of PGA Tour player Alex Prugh - former Husky Derek Berg, current Husky Charlie Hughes and Olympia HS's Dominick Francks. With a bogey at the second extra hole, it was Francks, the 2010 PNGA Junior Boys champion, who missed out. Former Vikings Tim Feenstra and Sean Packer also advanced as did Canada's Wes Heffernan and PGA Tour player Andres Gonzales. 
The women Vikings shot a 15-over 303 in yesterday's third round of the NCAA Division II National Championship at the Meadows in Allendale, MI., to move up a place into 11th. Sophomore Kara Zitzman (right) who shot a very disappointing 90 in round one came back strongly with a 78 on Thursday and an excellent one-over 73, the team's best round of the tournament so far, in Friday's third round. She is now tied for 54th in the individual standings on 241 (+25). Leading the team after three rounds, however, is junior Sophie Elstrott who is tied for 36th on 233 and who received National Golf Coaches Association West Region all-star and honorable mention All-American honors Thursday at the NGCA Division II Awards Banquet held in Grand Rapids, MI. Katie Sharpe is 52nd on 239 after shooting a second consecutive 80 and Claire Rachor is tied for 58th on 242. Christa Goldie who, like Zitzman, opened with a 90, shot 76 on Friday to move into a tie for 61st on 244.
"We're still trying to have a round where everybody leaves the course happy, and that's our goal for the final round," said Western coach Bo Stephan. "The course has not been set up too difficult, and we need to take advantage of that."
Nova Southeastern leads the tournament by 27 shots on seven-under 857. Players from the Fort Lauderdale, FL., school fill the first two spots on the individual leaderboard - Taylor Collins leads teammate Abbey Gittings by eight on thirteen-under 203.
Team scores here.
Individual leaderboard here.
