Panthong helps Kent State grab the lead after opening round of East Lansing Regional

   With Pimnipa Panthong, a junior from Thailand and the No. 23 player in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), leading the way, Kent State, No. 12 in the latest Golfstat rankings, grabbed an eight-shot lead as the NCAA East Lansing Regional teed off Monday at the Forest Akers West Golf Course in East Lansing, Mich.

   Panthong fired a 4-under-par 68 over the 6,387-yard, par-72 Forest Akers West layout to take the individual lead by a shot over Michigan State’s Haylin Harris, a freshman from Carmel, Ind. who carded a 3-under 69 on the Spartans’ home course.

   Panthong’s strong start led the Golden Flashes, coming off their 21^st straight Mid-American Conference title, to a sparkling 6-under 282. Kent State, which has reached match play in the NCAA Championship in each of the last two springs, is seeded third in the East Lansing Regional.

   The top six teams in each regional will advance to the NCAA Championship later this month at The Blessings Golf Club in Fayetteville, Ark. The top three individuals not part of an advancing team will also head to Fayetteville to compete for the NCAA individual title.

   Reigning national champion Arizona, ranked fifth and seeded second, is in second place at 2-over 290.

   The Wildcats were followed by a trio of Big Ten teams, feeling right at home in East Lansing. No. 28 Illinois, seeded seventh, was alone in third place at 4-over 292, two shots behind Arizona. Upstart Indiana, ranked 55^th and seeded 14^th, and host Michigan State, ranked 20^th and seeded fifth, were tied for fourth at 5-over 293.

   No. 21 Campbell, seeded sixth, was two shots behind Indiana and Michigan State in sixth place at 6-over 294.

   It was a disappointing start for No. 33 North Carolina, which is seeded ninth, as the Tar Heels posted an 18-over 306 and are tied for 14^th with No. 39 Georgia, the 10^th seed.

   Panthong was backed up by her fellow Thai, Thitapa Pakdeesettakul, a freshman, and Michaela Finn, a senior from Sweden, both of whom carded a 1-under 71 to finish in the eight-player logjam tied for sixth in the individual standings.

   Chloe Salort, a sophomore from France, was Kent State’s final counter as she matched par with a 72 that left her in the group tied for 14^th. Karoline Stormo, a junior from Norway and No. 33 in the Women’s WAGR, posted a 4-over 76 that left her among the group tied for 43^rd.

   Heading a group of three players tied for third in the individual standings, a shot behind Michigan State’s Harris at 2-under 70, was North Carolina’s Kelly Whaley, a senior from Farmington, Conn. who is writing the final chapter of an outstanding career in Chapel Hill.

   She was joined at that figure by UCLA veteran Beth Wu, a senior from Diamond Bar, Calif. and a member of the 2016 United States Curtis Cup team, and Indiana’s Kari Belville, a graduate student from Granger, Ind.

   Backing up Whaley for North Carolina was Ava Bergner, a sophomore from Germany who carded a 4-over 76 that left her in the group tied for 43^rd. Nicole Lu, a freshman from Taiwan, posted a 79 to end up in the group tied for 74^th.

   Junior Brynn Walker, a two-time PIAA Class AAA champion at Radnor, struggled to an 81 and was in the group tied for 84^th. Walker was coming off a solid showing in a U.S. Women’s Open qualifier April 23 at Forsgate Country Club’s Banks Course in Monroe Township, N.J. Walker finished with a 3-over 145 total in the one-day, 36-hole test and lost in a three-way playoff for the second alternate spot.

   Rounding out the North Carolina lineup was Jennifer Zhou, a freshman from China who posted an 85 and was alone in 96^th.

   Notre Dame’s Emma Albrecht, a senior from Ormond Beach, Fla. competing as an individual in East Lansing, posted a 5-over 77 to land among the group tied for 58^th.

   In the Auburn Regional, No. 6 Vanderbilt, seeded second, was the only team to better par with a 1-under 287 at Saugahatchee Country Club in Opelika, Ala. that gave the Commodores, out of the Southeastern Conference, a three-shot lead over No. 3 and top-seeded Duke.

   Vanderbilt was led by Auston Kim, a freshman from St. Augustine, Fla. who got a share of the individual lead with a 2-under 70 over the 6,371-yard, par-72 Saugahatchee layout.

   Duke checked in with a 2-over 290 and was alone in second place. The Blue Devils’ Atlantic Coast Conference rival Florida State, ranked 11^th and seeded third, was a shot behind Duke in a tie for third with surprising East Carolina, ranked 53^rd and seeded 14^th, at 3-over 291.

   A couple of other double-digit seeds, No. 42 Tennessee, seeded 11^th, and Big Ten representative Maryland, ranked 52^nd and seeded 13^th, were tied for fifth at 6-over 294, three shots behind Florida State and East Carolina.

   Backing up Kim for Vanderbilt was Courtney Zeng, a senior from Orlando, Fla. who was among a group of six players tied for fourth at 1-under 71.

   Rounding out the four counting scores for the Commodores were Abbey Carlson, a junior from Lake Mary, Fla., and Louise Yu, a sophomore from Duluth, Ga., each of whom carded a 1-over 73 to finish among the group tied for 14^th.

   Rounding out the Vanderbilt lineup was Morgan Baxendale, a sophomore from Windermere, Fla. who was in the group tied for 34^th with a 3-over 75.

   Matching the 2-under 70 carded by Vanderbilt’s Kim were Maryland’s Virunpat Olankitkunchai, a sophomore from Thailand, and Tennessee’s Michaela Williams, a junior from Athens, Ala., as they joined Kim at the top of the individual standings.

   The Florida State pair of Beatrice Wallin, a freshman from Sweden, and Amanda Doherty, a junior from Atlanta, joined Vanderbilt’s Zeng in the group tied for fourth at 1-under 71. Another ACC star, Virginia’s Anna Redding, a senior from Concord, N.C. and No. 31 in the Women’s WAGR, also carded a 1-under 71.

   Williams’ Tennessee teammate, Mariah Smith, a sophomore from Clarksville, Tenn., also carded a 71 to land among the group tied for fourth. Rounding out that large group at 1-under was East Carolina’s Siranon Shoomee, a junior from Sanford, N.C.

   In the Norman Regional, No. 10 Florida, seeded third, grabbed a one-shot lead over surprising North Carolina State, ranked 50^th and seeded 13^th, after the opening round at the Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club in Norman, Okla.

   The Gators entered match play in the SEC Championship as the top seed after a strong stroke-play performance, but promptly got knocked out in the opening round of match play by Mississippi, which rode the wave of that stunning upset all the way to an SEC title.

   Led by Sierra Brooks, a junior from Orlando, Fla. and No. 24 in the Women’s WAGR, Florida posted a solid 4-under 284 total. N.C. State, led by Laura Kowohl, a senior from Germany, was a shot behind the Gators in second at 3-under 285.

   Brooks and Kowohl each carded a 3-under 69 over the 6,367-yard, par-72 Jimmie Austin OU layout and were part of a four-way tie for second in the individual standings behind the leader, Memphis’ Michaela Fletcher, a redshirt senior from South Africa competing as an individual who fired a 4-under 68.

   No. 34 Ole Miss, seeded ninth, but still riding the momentum from its run to the program’s first SEC title, was part of a four-way logjam tied for third at 1-under 287. The Rebels’ in-state rival, Mississippi State, ranked 44^th and seeded 11^th, also checked in at 287.

   Rounding out the rest of the foursome tied for third at 287 were a couple of Lone Star State representatives, including No. 2-ranked and top-seeded Texas. The Longhorns, who rolled to their third straight Big 12 title last month, were joined at 1-under by conference rival Texas Tech, ranked 37^th and seeded 10^th.

   Backing up Brooks for Florida was Martz Perez, a junior from Spain and No. 48 in the Women’s WAGR who was part of a seven-player logjam tied for sixth with a 2-under 70. Elin Elsborn, a redshirt sophomore from Sweden, was another shot behind Perez in the group tied for 13^th at 1-under 71.

   The final counter for Florida came from Addie Baggarly, a sophomore from Jonesborough, Tenn. who carded a 2-over 74 that left her among the group tied for 45^th.

   Rounding out the Florida lineup was Clara Manzalini, a freshman from Italy and No. 46 in the Women’s WAGR who posted a 5-over 77 to finish in the group tied for 69^th.

   In addition to Florida’s Brooks and N.C. State’s Kowohl, the foursome a shot behind individual leader Fletcher of Memphis includes two players who show up in the top 50 in the Women’s WAGR.

   Arizona State’s Olivia Mehaffey, a junior from Northern Ireland and No. 17 in the Women’s WAGR, also carded a 3-under 69. Mehaffey was a key contributor for the Sun Devils as a freshman in their run to the national championship two springs ago at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Ill. and has been chosen for the Great Britain & Ireland side for the Curtis Cup Match in 2016 and again last summer. Oh yeah, and she won the Pac-12 individual title last month.

  Rounding out the quartet at 3-under 69 was Texas Tech’s Sofia Garcia, a sophomore from Paraguay and No. 37 in the Women’s WAGR.

   In the Cle Elum Regional, Southern California arrived as the No. 1 team in the country and the Trojans are the top seed. So it shouldn’t be too surprising to see the Pac-12 champions leading the way after the opening round at the Suncadia Resort’s Tumble Creek Club in Cle Elum, Wash. with a 7-under 281 total.

   No. 16 Northwestern, which always seems to flip the switch when it’s time for regionals, was alone in second place, the fourth-seeded Wildcats three shots behind Southern Cal at 4-under 284. No. 19 Washington, the 2016 NCAA champion and the fifth seed, was a shot behind Northwestern in third at 3-under 285.

   Arkansas, ranked eighth and seeded second, was another two shots behind Washington in fourth place at 1-under 287. The Razorbacks are especially motivated to advance out of this regional and get to the NCAA Championship on their home course at The Blessings Golf Club.

   San Jose State, ranked 29^th and seeded eighth, was alone in fifth at 1-over 289, two shots behind Arkansas. No. 49 and 13^th-seeded UCF, behind individual leader Ana Laura Collado, a sophomore from Mexico, was alone in sixth place, a shot behind San Jose State at 2-over 290.

   Southern Cal was led by Gabriela Ruffels, a sophomore from Australia who was one of the four freshmen who carried the Trojans to the NCAA semifinals last spring at Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater, Okla. Ruffels was part of a three-way tie for fifth after she carded a 3-under 69.

   She was backed up by two more of those fab four of freshmen from a year ago, Jennifer Chang, a sophomore from Cary, N.C. and No. 27 in the Women’s WAGR, and Alyaa Abdulghany, a sophomore from Newport Beach, Calif., both of whom were among the group tied for eighth at 2-under 70.

   The final counter for Southern Cal was an even-par 72 posted by Allisen Corpuz, a junior from Honolulu, Hawaii and No. 40 in the Women’s WAGR who landed among the group tied for 21^st.

Rounding out the Southern Cal lineup was Malia Nam, a freshman from Kailua, Hawaii who posted a solid 1-over 73 to finish among the group tied for 26^th.

   Collado fired a sizzling 6-under 66 to grab the individual lead. Oregon’s Kathleen Scavo, a senior from Benicia, Calif., was a shot behind Collado in second after posting a 5-under 67.

   Northwestern’s Stephanie Lau, a senior from Fullerton, Calif. and No. 34 in the Women’s WAGR, was tied for third with Washington’s Rino Sasaki, a sophomore from Japan, after each carded a 4-under 68. Lau is a veteran of the Wildcats’ run to the 2017 Final Match at Rich Harvest Farms, where they fell to Arizona State.

   Joining Southern Cal’s Ruffels in the trio tied for fifth at 3-under 69 was Arkansas’ Maria Fassi, a senior from Mexico and No. 4 in the Women’s WAGR. Fassi, the reigning Annika Award winner, seems particularly determined to lead the Razorbacks to a deep postseason run. She is coming off an impressive performance in winning the SEC individual title on the heels of her runnerup finish in the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship.

   Rounding out the threesome tied at 3-under was Ohio State’s Yukie Sasaki, a sophomore from Japan.