Sarah Paulson May 5, 2009

Central's Paulson cracks NCAA field

PELLA—Central College freshman Sarah Paulson of Ottumwa has been awarded an individual berth in the NCAA Division III women’s golf championships.

The 72-hole tourney will be staged at the PGA Golf Club in Port St. Lucie, Fla. May 12-15. The 54-hole complex is also the site of the men’s championships in which Central has earned a team berth. It’s the first time that Central’s women have been represented in the Division III meet since it was established in 1996.

The tournament caps a record-breaking rookie season for Paulson, who set the school season stroke average mark during the fall campaign, averaging 79.18. She was named the Iowa Conference MVP after winning the 72-hole league tournament. She tied for second at the Central and Wartburg invitational meets and was sixth at the Illinois Wesleyan Invitational. During the abbreviated spring campaign, Paulson was fourth at the Wartburg Invitational April 4-5 and finished second at the Blugold Pre-D3 Invitational at Eau Claire, Wis. last weekend.

Paulson is among six individuals selected for the tournament which also includes 21 teams. Iowa Conference champ Wartburg College is also in the field.

Dutch coach Jodee Schaben thinks Paulson can excel at the national level.

“Sarah had a very strong fall and spring and has one of the best scoring averages in the nation,” Schaben said. “She’s beaten a lot of the top players head to head. Last weekend at Eau Claire, there were three teams that will be in the national tournament and she beat all but one of their players.”

The tourney will be a learning experience, Schaben said.

“Being a freshman, a tournament like this could be a little intimidating,” Schaben said. “But Sarah has got the mental capability to finish in the top 20. She’s got the game. If she can get over being on a big stage and just play her game, she’ll be fine.”

The NCAA berth is also another step forward for the Dutch program Schaben is building. The Dutch climbed into a tie for second in the Iowa Conference meet last fall.

“This is a testament to where the program is going,” she said. “And the thing about Sarah is she’s not playing for herself, she’s playing for the team. She wants the team to be with her at the national meet next year. I think we’ve got a shot at it.”

Owned by The PGA of America, the 54-hole PGA Village is listed among the 75 best golf resorts in North America by Golf Digest. The courses were designed by Tom Fazio and Pete Dye. The women’s tournament will be staged at the Wanamaker Course with the men’s field using the Ryder and Dye courses. Port St. Lucie is a city of 166,000 on Florida’s Atlantic coast.

“The course looks amazing,” Schaben said.

The tournament is being hosted by Methodist Univ. (N.C.). The Monarchs have won 11 consecutive NCAA Division III titles.