Brinker helps Duke grab lead following opening round of Cle Elum Regional as May Madness tees off

 

   Phoebe Brinker, an Archmere Academy product, is a senior at Duke now, a veteran on a typically talented group of Blue Devils gearing up for what they hope is a long postseason run.

   The Atlantic Coast Conference’s individual champion as a sophomore in 2022, Brinker’s time at Duke has had its ups and downs, but it is the now that matters at the moment.

   Brinker carded a solid 2-under-par 70 at the Tumble Creek Club at the Suncadia Resort to help the Blue Devils grab the lead following the opening round of the NCAA’s Cle Elum Regional Monday.

   With six women’s regionals teeing off Monday, it was, for college golf fans, the opening day of May Madness.

   Brinker’s solid round enabled Duke, the second seed in the regional, to grab the lead in the team standings with a 6-under 282 over the 6,306-yard, par-72 Tumble Creek layout.

   Duke’s Annie Chen, a senior from Sugar Land, Texas, led the way for the Blue Devils as she grabbed the individual lead with a sparkling 5-under 67.

   Duke’s fast start gave it a two-shot lead over Pac-12 champion Stanford. The top-seeded Cardinal opened with a solid 4-under 284.

   Stanford was led by talented freshman Paula Martin Sampedro, the Spaniard who is No. 22 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), was a shot behind Chen with a 4-under 68 gave her a share of second place in the individual standings with Kansas’ Lily Hirst, a junior from the United Kingdom.

   Stanford’s Pac-12 rival Arizona State, the third seed, was four shots behind the Cardinal in third place as the Sun Devils matched par with a 288.

   Virginia, Duke’s ACC rival, was another shot behind Arizona State in fourth place with a 1-over 289 and Big West champion Long Beach State, the 10 seed, was three shots behind Virginia in fifth place after opening with a 4-over 292 total.

   The top five teams and the top individual from a non-advancing team will move on to the NCAA Championship, which tees off May 17 at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa’s Champions Course in Carlsbad, Calif.

   Backing up Chen and Brinker for Duke was Andie Smith, a graduate student from Hobe Sound, Fla. who matched par with a 72 that her in the group tied for 10^th place.

   Katie Li, Duke’s talented freshman from Basking Ridge, N.J., was in the group tied for 16^th place with a 1-over 73. Rounding out the Duke lineup was Emma McMyler, a graduate student from San Antonio, Texas who starred at Xavier before moving to Durham for her fifth year of eligibility. McMyler was among the group tied for 22^nd place after posting a 2-over 74.

   Virginia’s Celeste Valinho, a graduate student from Jacksonville, Fla., was alone in fourth place in the individual chase after opening with a 3-under 69 that left her a shot behind Martin Sampedro and Hirst.

   In the Bermuda Run Regional, host Wake Forest opened defense of the national championship it won a year ago at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. by grabbing the team lead with an 11-under 277 total at Bermuda Run Country Club.

   The top-seeded Demon Deacons, another ACC entry, were led by Rachel Kuehn, their veteran graduate student from Asheville, N.C. and No. 8 in the Women’s WAGR who tallied a sparkling 5-under 67 over the 6,297-yard, par-72 Bermuda Run layout that left her in second place in the individual standings.

   Wake Forest was a shot ahead of Southeastern Conference entry Tennessee, seeded seventh, as the Volunteers put together a solid opening round of 10-under 278.

   Tennessee was led Bailey Davis, a junior from White Plains, Md. who grabbed the individual lead with a sizzling 8-under 64. Davis quite memorably marched all the way to the final of the 2018 U.S. Girls’ Junior Championship in her home state at Columbia Country Club in Chevy Chase, Md. before falling to Rose Zhang, the No. 1 amateur player on the planet.

   A bit of a Mississippi feud was brewing in the team standings as Ole Miss, the three seed, and SEC champion Mississippi State, the four seed, were tied for third place, each landing on 5-under 283, five shots behind Tennessee.

   Big 12 champion Texas, seeded second, and Pac-12 upstart Oregon State, seeded eighth, were in a tie for fifth place, each registering a 3-under 285 in the opening round.

   Coastal Athletic Association champion Delaware was in 11^th place after opening with a 16-over 304.

   Backing up Kuehn for Wake Forest were Carolina Chacarra, a junior from Spain and No. 44 in the Women’s WAGR, and Macy Pate, the Demon Deacons’ talented freshman home girl from Winston-Salem, N.C. as they both landed in the group tied for fourth place at 3-under 69.

   Brooke Rivers, a freshman from the Turks & Caicos Islands, matched par with a 72 and was in the group tied for 22^nd place. Rounding out the Wake Forest lineup was Mimi Rhodes, the veteran senior from England who was among the among the group tied for 32^nd place after carding a 1-over 73.

   North Florida’s Christin Eisenbess a senior from Germany competing as an individual, was a shot behind Kuehn in third place in the individual standings after opening with a solid 4-under 68.

   Delaware was led by veteran seniors Christina Carroll, a Delaware home girl out of William Penn High School, and Oihana Etxezarreta of Spain as they shared 41^st place, each recording a 3-over 75.

   The Blue Hens’ Lilia Henkel, the CAA’s individual champion, was a shot behind her teammates in the group tied for 43^rd place with a 4-over 76.

   Rounding out the Delaware lineup was the duo of Alisa Khokhlova, a junior from Russia, and freshman Marissa Malosh, a two-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier at South Fayette, as they landed in the group tied for 56^th place after each signed for a 6-over 78.

   In the Auburn Regional, the host Tigers, behind reigning U.S. Women’s Amateur champion Megan Schofill, a fifth-year player from Monticello, Fla., grabbed the lead in the team standings with a 2-over 290 at the Auburn University Club.

   Schofill carded a 3-under 69 over the 6,480-yard, par-72 Auburn University Club layout that gave her a share of the individual lead with South Carolina’s Louise Rydqvist, a junior from Sweden and No. 32 in the Women’s WAGR.

   Rydqvist led the way as the top-seeded Gamecocks sat three shots behind SEC rival Auburn, the second seed, in second place in the team standings with a 5-over 293.

   Three teams were in a deadlock tied for third place at 10-over 298, five shots behind South Carolina, including Oregon, the three seed out of the Pac-12, American Athletic Conference representative Tulsa, seeded eighth, and Houston, out of the Big 12, which is seeded seventh.

   It was a little bit of a disappointing start for Michigan, out of the Big Ten, as the Wolverines were in 10^th place after opening with a 311.

   Backing up Schofill for Auburn was the duo of Anna Davis, a freshman from Spring Valley, Calif. and No. 17 in the Women’s WAGR and Anna Foster, a senior from Ireland, as they landed among a group tied for eighth place, each posting a 1-over 73.

   The addition of Davis, winner of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship as a 16-year-old in 2022, to the Auburn roster in January turned a very good team into a legitimate contender for a national championship.

   Rounding out the Auburn lineup was the duo of Casey Weidenfeld, a redshirt sophomore from Pembroke Pines, Fla. and No. 57 in the Women’s WAGR, and Katie Cranston, a sophomore from Canada, as they were in the group tied for 20^th place, each registering a 3-over 75.

   East Tennessee State’s Sophie Bert, a junior from Belgium, and North Carolina’s Megan Streicher, a sophomore from South Africa, were in a tie for third place, each recording a 1-under 71 that left them two shots behind the co-leaders Schofill and Rydqvist.

   Michigan was led by freshman Sidney Yermish, a two-time PIAA Class AAA champion at Lower Merion who signed for a 4-over 76 that left them (Yermish identifies at they/their/them pronoun-wise) in the group tied for 26^th place in the individual standings. Pretty solid start for Sid the Kid in their first NCAA regional appearance.

   In the East Lansing Regional, top-seeded Southern California, a perennial Pac-12 power, grabbed the team lead with a 7-under 281 at the Forest Akers West Golf Course.

   The Trojans were led by talented freshman Bailey Shoemaker of Dade City, Fla., who jumped out to the individual lead with a sizzling 7-under 65 over the 6,325-yard, par-72 Forest Akers West layout.

   Shoemaker nearly stole the title in last month’s Augusta National Women’s Amateur when she unleashed a stunning 6-under 66 in the final round over the Alister MacKenzie classic that is the Augusta National Golf Club, settling for a runnerup finish.

   West Coast Conference champion Pepperdine, seeded fourth, was in second place, two shots behind Southern Cal after the Waves opened with a solid 5-under 283.

   Pepperdine was led by Lion Higo, a senior from Australia and No. 93 in the Women’s WAGR, as she was two shots behind Shoemaker in second place in the individual standings with a sparkling 5-under 67.

   The Big Ten’s Northwestern, which always seems to save its best stuff for the postseason, was a shot behind Pepperdine in third place in the team standings as the Wildcats, seeded second, opened with a 4-under 284.

   Florida, another SEC entry, was three shots behind Northwestern in fourth place as the Gators, seeded third, put together a 1-under 287.

   Five-time reigning Summit League champion Denver, seeded seventh, was three shots behind Florida in fifth place with a 2-over 290.

   Backing up Shoemaker for Southern Cal was Catherine Park, a sophomore from Irvine, Calif. and No. 12 in the Women’s WAGR who was in the group tied for fourth place as she opened with a 2-under 70. Park finished in a tie for second place in the individual chase in the NCAA Championship at Grayhawk a year ago and led the Trojans to the Final Match as they fell to Wake Forest for a runnerup finish.

   Brianna Navarrosa, a senior from San Diego, Calif., added a 1-under 71 for the Trojans as she landed in the group tied for 12^th place.

   Amari Avery, a junior from Riverside, Calif. and No. 26 in the Women’s WAGR, was in the group tied for 38^th place after opening with a 3-over 75.

   Rounding out the Southern Cal lineup was Christine Wang, a senior from Houston, Texas who was among the group tied for 45^th place after carding an opening round of 4-over 76.

   Notre Dame’s Lauren Beaudreau, a graduate student from Lemont, Ill. competing as an individual opened with a solid 4-under 68 that left her alone in third place in the individual standings, a shot behind Pepperdine’s Higo.

   In the Bryan Regional, top-seeded LSU, behind Ingrid Lindblad, a graduate student from Sweden and the No. 1 player in the Women’s WAGR, and Latanna Stone, a graduate student from Riverview, Fla. and No. 41 in the Women’s WAGR, shared the top spot in the team standings with AAC champion Southern Methodist, which was led by Mackenzie Lee, a sophomore from North Little Rock, Ark. who shared the top spot in the individual standings with Lindblad and Stone.

   Lindblad and Stone led the top-seeded Bayou Tigers to an opening round of 2-under 286 over the 6,376-yard, par-72 Traditions Golf Club layout as each recorded a solid 4-under 68. Stone was the runnerup to Auburn’s Schofill, falling in the final of the U.S. Women’s Amateur at Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles last summer.

   Lee matched the 68s posted by Lindblad and Stone as the Mustangs, seeded fifth, got a share of the team lead with their 2-under 286.

   Host Texas A&M, the SEC runnerup and the second seed, was a shot behind the co-leaders in third place with a solid 1-under 287.

   The Aggies were led by Adela Cernousek, a junior from France and No. 38 in the Women’s WAGR who was in fifth place in the individual chase with a 2-under 70 on her home course.

   Clemson, seeded third, was four shots behind Texas A&M in fourth place as the ACC’s Tigers opened with a 3-over 291.

   Big 12 upstart Iowa State, seeded eighth, was in fifth place after opening with a 5-over 293 that left the Cyclones two shots behind Clemson.

   Backing up Lindblad and Stone for LSU was Carla Tejedo, a senior from Spain who landed in the group tied for 22^nd place with a 2-over 74.

   Aine Donegan, a junior from Ireland and No. 91 in the Women’s WAGR, contributed a 4-over 76 for LSU, which left her in the group tied for 38^th place.

   Rounding out the LSU lineup was Taylor Riley, a sophomore from San Diego, Calif. who was in a tie for 61^st place after struggling to an 82 in the opening round.

   Backing up Lee for SMU was Ashley Chow, a senior from Canada who was in the group tied for sixth place after opening with a 1-under 71.

   Emily Odwin, a sophomore from Barbados, matched par with a 72 that left her in the group tied for 12^th place. Tessa Davenport, a graduate student from Buford, Ga., was in the group tied for 34^th place as she opened with a 3-over 75.

   Rounding out the SMU lineup was Ellie Szeryk, a senior from Canada who opened with a 4-over 76 that left her among the group tied for 39^th place.

   Ohio State’s Kary Hollenbaugh, a sophomore from New Albany, Ohio, was just a shot behind the three co-leaders in fourth place in the individual standings after opening with a solid 3-under 69.

   In the Las Vegas Regional, second-seeded Arkansas, behind individual leader Kajal Mistry, a graduate student from South Africa, grabbed the team lead with an 8-under 280 at Spanish Trail Country Club.

   Mistry opened with a sizzling 6-under 66 over the 6,665-yard, par-72 Spanish Trail layout to take a one-shot lead in the individual chase over Florida State’s Lottie Woad, a sophomore from England and No. 3 in the Women’s WAGR.

   Woad has been on a heater, capturing the title in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and making the cut and playing four rounds in The Chevron Championship, the first major championship of the year on the LPGA Tour, this spring.

   Woad’s 5-under 67 led Florida State, seeded fourth out of the ACC, into second place, the Seminoles trailing Arkansas by three shots with an opening round of 5-under 283.

   Purdue, the sixth seed out of the Big Ten, was a shot behind Florida State with a 4-under 284.

   Pac-12 power and top-seeded UCLA was seven shots behind Purdue in fourth place after opening with a 3-over 291.

   Baylor, the seventh seed out of the Big 12, was another shot behind UCLA in fifth place with an opening round of 4-over 292.

   Backing up Mistry for Arkansas was Marie Jose Marin, a freshman from Colombia who was just a shot behind Woad in third place after opening with a solid 4-under 68.

   Kendall Todd, a freshman from Goodyear, Ariz., and Miriam Ayora, a senior from Spain, landed in the group tied for 18^th place, each registering a 1-over 73 for the Razorbacks.

   Rounding out the Arkansas lineup was Reagan Zibliski, a sophomore from Springfield, Mo. who opened with a 2-over 74 that left her in the group tied for 31^st place.

   Florida State also got a solid opening round from Alice Hodge, a senior from Larchmont, N.Y. who was in a tie for fourth place in the individual standings with UCLA’s Kate Villegas, a senior from Arcadia, Calif., as they each carded a 2-under 70.

   Purdue had four players in the large group tied for sixth place at 1-under 71. One of them was junior Natasha Kiel, a New Hope native and a product of George School.

   I’m heading out for some local scholastic golf Tuesday afternoon as the Inter-Ac League Championship for girls tees off at French Creek Golf Club, an early Gil Hanse design. I won’t be able to do a post like this on the second round of all the regionals, but I’ll be back with results from all six regionals following Wednesday’s final rounds.