UNLV’s Finkelstein bounces back at NCAA championships

UNLV junior Dana Finkelstein bounced back from a 77 in her second round to shoot a 2-under-par 68 Thursday in the third round of the NCAA Women’s Golf Championships in Tulsa, Okla.

Finkelstein, playing as an individual and starting from the No. 10 tee, was 2-over after her first four holes. But she made a birdie at No. 18 to make the turn at 1-over. She pulled even with a birdie at No. 2, then registered back-to-back birdies at holes No. 6 and 7 to get to 2-under. She is currently in a tie with 10 others for 41st place at 220 heading into today’s final round. Duke’s Celine Boutier and Southern California’s Doris Chen share the individual lead at 207.

In the team competition, Duke holds a six-shot lead over USC and a 10-shot advantage over third-place Oklahoma. The Sooners, who had been led by freshman and former Green Valley High School star Alexandra Kaui, faltered badly Thursday. Kaui had a double bogey, a triple bogey and a quadruple bogey as part of a 10-over-par round of 80 and Oklahoma as a team finished its third round 11 over par.