Ong helps Ohio State get off to a fast start in Columbus as NCAA regionals tee off

 

   Lisa Strom, the 1994 PIAA champion as a senior at Lansdale Catholic, returned to Ohio State, her alma mater, as the head coach beginning in the fall of 2021.

   She has been unable to get the Buckeyes to the NCAA Championship in her first three seasons, but that might be about to change.

   Ohio State, getting a tremendous performance from Nellie Ong, a freshman from England, grabbed the lead following Monday’s opening round of the NCAA’s Columbus Regional being played on the Buckeyes’ home course, The Ohio State University’s Scarlet Course, designed by Alister MacKenzie, the guy who teamed with Bobby Jones to create the Augusta National Golf Club layout.

   Ong carded a sizzling 6-under-par 66 over the 6,319-yard, par-72 Scarlet Course layout to take the individual lead and help Ohio State, No. 14 in the Scoreboard, powered by clippd, rankings and the three seed in the regional, open with a 9-under 279 that gave the Buckeyes, a Big Ten power, a three-shot lead over Southeastern Conference representative Arkansas in the team chase.

   It was May Madness all around the country as Columbus was one of six regionals teeing off Monday, although, with threatening weather heading for the middle of the country, the Lubbock Regional jumped the gun and got in its first round Sunday and they played 36 holes in the Norman Regional Monday.

   The top five teams in each regional will advance to the NCAA Championship at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif. The top individual from a non-advancing team will also earn a chance to compete as an individual at La Costa.

   Ong’s spectacular opening round gave her a one-shot lead over Xavier’s Isabel Brozena, a freshman from North Reading, Mass., and Arkansas’ Kendall Todd, a senior from Goodyear, Ariz. who is No. 30 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR).

   Brozena and Todd, a semifinalist in last summer’s U.S. Women’s Amateur at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla., each posted a sparkling 5-under 67.

   Todd’s effort helped the Razorbacks, No. 2 in the Scoreboard rankings and the top seed in the regional, record a 6-under 282 that left them three shots behind Ohio State.

   Another SEC power, LSU, No. 10 in the Scoreboard rankings and the two seed in the regional, was another two shots behind Arkansas in third place in the team chase with a 4-under 284.

   Mountain West Conference champion UNLV, No. 39 in the Scoreboard rankings and seeded seventh, and Mid-American Conference champion Kent State, No. 52 in the Scoreboard rankings and seeded ninth, both got off to solid starts as each registered a 1-under 287 that left them tied for fourth place, three shots behind LSU.

  But this day belonged to Ohio State. The strong team dynamic Strom has established with this group was evident Monday as the Buckeyes grabbed the lead despite a rare off day from their best player, Kary Hollenbaugh, a junior from New Albany, Ohio and No. 20 in the Women’s WAGR.

   Hollenbaugh, coming off a tie for second place in the Big Ten Championships at a testy Bulle Rock Golf Course in Havre de Grace, Md., carded a 3-over 75 on her home course, a score the Buckeyes had the luxury of throwing out. Hollenbaugh landed among the group tied for 44^th place. She’ll finish higher than that.

   Faith Choi, Ohio State’s senior leader, backed up Ong with a 3-under 69 that left her among a large group tied for fourth place. Mandy Song, a freshman from China, signed for a 2-under 70 that left her in the trio tied for 10^th place.

   Ohio State’s final counter came from the third freshman in Strom’s lineup, Spaniard Marina Joyce-Mareno, who posted a 2-over 74 that left her in the group tied for 35^th place.

   In the Charlottesville Regional, top-seeded South Carolina, behind individual co-leader Louise Rydqvist, a senior from Sweden and No. 8 in the Women’s WAGR, took a four-shot lead over UCLA, one of the former Pac-12 teams that landed in the Big Ten this season.

   The Gamecocks captured the SEC crown and are No. 4 in the Scoreboard rankings.

   Rydqvist opened with a 4-under 67 at Birdwood Golf Course to get a share of the individual lead with Florida’s Paula Francisco, a sophomore from Spain.

   Rydqvist helped South Carolina put together a 7-under 277 over the par-71 Birdwood layout.

   UCLA, No. 27 in the Scoreboard rankings and the fifth seed in the regional, posted a solid 3-under 281. The Bruins were coming off a bit of a disappointing seventh-place finish in their debut in the Big Ten Championship, but Bulle Rock was probably good preparation for their trip to Virginia.

   A couple more SEC teams, Mississippi, No. 16 in the Scoreboard rankings and the three seed in the regional, and Florida, No. 21 in the Scoreboard rankings and the four seed, accounted for the next two spots in the team standings with the Rebels in third place, a shot behind UCLA with a 2-under 282 total, and the Gators a shot behind Ole Miss in fourth place with a 1-under 283 total.

   Florida is coming off a spirted run to the match-play final in the SEC Championship at The Pelican Club in Belleair, Fla., the Gators falling to South Carolina.

   Host Virginia, No. 10 in the Scoreboard rankings and the two seed in the regional out of the Atlantic Coast Conference, was another three shots behind Florida in fifth place with a 2-over 286 total.

   Backing up Rydqvist in the powerful South Carolina lineup was Eila Galitsky, a freshman from Thailand and No. 17 in the Women’s WAGR, as she was tied for fifth place with a 2-under 69.

   Maylis Lemoure, a sophomore from France, was in the group tied for seventh place with a 1-under 70.

   South Carolina’s final counter came from another veteran as Hannah Darling, a senior from Scotland and No. 18 in the Women’s WAGR, matched par with a 71 and was among the group tied for 11^th place.

   Not that there was much of a dropoff to the fifth spot in the lineup as Sophia Burnett, a graduate student from Hilton Head Island, S.C., was in the group tied for 18^th place with a 1-over 72 that the Gamecocks had the luxury to toss.

   Ole Miss’ Kajsalotta Svarvar, a freshman from Sweden, and UCLA’s Angela Liu, a freshman from Irvine, Calif., were tied for third place in the individual standings, each ending up a shot behind Rydqvist and Francisco with a 3-under 68.

   Richmond junior Hannah Lydic, the Atlantic 10 individual champion who starred scholastically at Delaware’s Sussex Academy, was among the group tied for 57^th place after she opened with an 8-over 79.

   The Spiders, the A-10 team champion, were seeded 11^th and were in last place in the 12-team field with a 29-over 313 in the opening round.

   In the Lexington Regional, Florida State, coming off the first ACC championship in the program’s history, took a seven-shot lead in the team standings behind individual leader Mirabel Ting, a junior from Malaysia and No. 2 in the Women’s WAGR.

   Ting carded a 4-under 68 over the Chapman Trace at the Keene Trace Golf Club to lead the Seminoles, No. 3 in the Scoreboard rankings and the top seed in the regional, to a 7-under 281 total.

   Big 12 representative Kansas State, No. 28 in the Scoreboard rankings and seeded fifth, and Sun Belt Conference runnerup Georgia Southern, No. 34 in the Scoreboard rankings and seeded sixth, were in a tie for second place, each matching par with a 288 over the 6,095-yard, par-72 Chapman Trace layout.

   Southern California, one of the new transplants from the defunct Pac-12 to the Big Ten, was a shot behind Kansas State and Georgia Southern in fourth place with a 1-over 289 total.

   The Trojans, No. 9 in the Scoreboard rankings and the two seed in the regional, were coming off a bit of a disappointing ninth-place finish in their debut at the Big Ten Championship, but, like UCLA in Charlottesville, Bulle Rock might have been good preparation for their trip to Lexington.

   Another Big 12 representative, TCU, No. 22 in the Scoreboard rankings and the four seed in the regional, was three shots behind Southern Cal in fifth place with a 4-over 292.

   Ting had plenty of backup in the powerful Florida State lineup as Lottie Woad, a junior from England and the No. 1 player in the Women’s WAGR, Kaylah Williams, a senior from South Africa, and Sophia Fullbrook, a freshman from England, all finished among the group tied for ninth place, each signing for a 1-under 71.

   Rounding out the Florida State lineup was Alexandra Gazzoli, a freshman from Palm Coast, Fla. who was in the group tied for 53^rd place after recording a 7-over 79.

   Ting’s closest pursuer in the individual chase was Western Kentucky’s Julia Zigrossi, a freshman from Spencerport, N.Y. who opened with a solid 3-under 69 that left her a shot behind Ting.

   Angelina Tolentino, a product of Lenape High in South Jersey, is having a solid freshman season at Vanderbilt and was among the group tied for 45^th place with a 5-over 77. Tolentino captured the Pennsylvania Women’s Amateur Championship last summer at Waynesborough Country Club.

   Vanderbilt, an SEC representative that is No. 22 in the Scoreboard rankings and is seeded fourth in the regional, was in 10^th place in the team standings following an opening round of 13-over 301.

   In the Lubbock Regional, Wake Forest, which lost to Florida State in the ACC’s match-play final, will take an eight-shot lead over top-seeded Texas into the final round at The Rawls Course after the Demon Deacons, behind individual leader Carolina Chacarra, a senior from Spain and No. 25 in the Women’s WAGR.

   Wake Forest, No. 7 in the Scoreboard rankings and the two seed in Lubbock, added a 1-under 287 over the 6,701-yard, par-72 Rawls Course layout in Monday’s second round to Sunday’s opening round of 1-over 289 it shot as tournament organizers tried to get ahead of the weather for an even-par 576 total.

   Chacarra added a 1-under 71 in Monday’s second round to her opening round of 3-under 69 for a 4-under 140 total that left her two shots in front of Texas’ Farah O’Keefe, a sophomore home girl from Austin, Texas and No. 14 in the Women’s WAGR.

   The Longhorns moved from the Big 12 to the SEC this season and are No. 6 in the Scoreboard rankings. They opened with a 2-over 290 before adding a 6-over 294 in Monday’s second round and were in second place with an 8-over 584 total.

   O’Keefe led the way for Texas as she matched par in Monday’s second round after opening with a 2-under 70 for a 2-under 142 total.

   A couple of Big 12 schools, Iowa State, No. 30 in the Scoreboard rankings and seeded fifth in the regional, and Arizona, No. 18 in the Scoreboard rankings and seeded third in the regional, were tied for third place, each landing on 26-over 602.

  The Cyclones added a 304 in Monday’s second round to their opening round of 10-over 298. Arizona, which captured the team crown in its first year in the Big 12 following the demise of the Pac-12, struggled to a 305 in the opening round before adding a 9-over 297 in Monday’s second round.

   Big West Conference runnerup UC Davis was a shot behind Iowa State and Arizona in fifth place with a 27-over 603 total. The Aggies, No. 57 in the Scoreboard rankings and seeded ninth in the regional, bounced back from an opening-round 307 with an 8-over 296 in Monday’s second round.

   Backing up Chacarra for Wake Forest were Macy Pate, a sophomore from Winston-Salem, N.C. and No. 47 in the Women’s WAGR, and Chloe Kovelsky, a freshman from Boca Raton, Fla., as they were part of a large group tied for third place at even-par 144.

   Pate recorded back-to-back even-par 72s while Kovelsky opened with a 1-under 71 before adding a 1-over 73 in Monday’s second round.

   Anne-Sterre den Dunnen, a junior from The Netherlands, gave the Demon Deacons a fourth player in the top eight as she was part of the group tied for eight place at 4-over 148. After opening with a 5-over 77, den Dunnen added a solid 1-under 71 in Monday’s second round.

   Rounding out the Wake Forest lineup was freshman Sarah Lydic, the younger sister of Richmond’s Hanah and a Delaware state champion at two different schools, Sussex Academy and last spring at Indian River High.

   Sarah Lydic was tied for 41^st place as she added a 6-over 78 in Monday’s second round to her opening-round 77 for a 155 total.

   Purdue senior Natasha Kiel, a New Hope resident who was a scholastic standout at George School, was among the group tied for 23^rd place at 8-over 152 as she bounced back from an opening-round 79 with a solid 1-over 73 in Monday’s second round.

   Kiel has been the runnerup in the Pennsylvania Women’s Amateur in each of the last two summers.

   The Big Ten’s Boilermakers, No. 43 in the Scoreboard rankings and seeded seventh in the regional, are sitting in sixth place in the team standings, a shot behind UC Davis with a 28-over 604 total.

   In the Norman Regional, Stanford played like the No. 1 team in the country that it has been throughout the wraparound 2024-2025 season as the top-seeded Cardinal added a 4-under 284 at the Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club in the afternoon of Monday’s double round to their opening round of 12-under 276 for a 16-under 560 total that gave them a five-shot lead.

   Stanford’s freshman sensation Meja Ortengren, a Swede who is No. 16 in the Women’s WAGR, led the way for the Cardinal as she grabbed a share of the individual lead with a 5-under 139 total for the day.

   After opening with a solid 4-under 68 over the 6,445-yard Jimmie Austin layout, Ortengren added a 1-under 71 in the afternoon.

   Stanford, the reigning national champion, has won every stroke-play event it has teed it up in this season. In its debut in the ACC Championship last month at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C., the Cardinal were stunned in the match-play semifinals by Wake Forest.

   Big Ten power Northwestern, No. 12 in the Scoreboard rankings and the two seed in the regional, was Stanford’s closest pursuer as the Wildcats added a 10-under 278 in the afternoon to their opening round of 1-under 287 for an 11-under 565 total that left them five shots behind Stanford.

   Another Big Ten entry, Michigan State, No. 24 in the Scoreboard rankings and seeded fourth in the regional, was eight shots behind Northwestern in third place with a 3-under 573 total. After opening with a 3-over 291, the Spartans bounced back with a 6-under 282 in the afternoon.

   Big 12 power Baylor, No. 37 in the Scoreboard rankings and seeded seventh in the regional, was four shots behind Michigan State in fourth place with a 1-over 577 total. The Bears opened with a 1-under 287 before adding a 2-over 290 in the afternoon.

   American Athletic Conference champion Tulsa, No. 56 in the Scoreboard rankings and the nine seed in the regional, and the ACC’s North Carolina, No. 13 in the Scoreboard rankings and the three seed, were tied for fifth place, each ending up with a 2-over 578 total that left them a shot behind Baylor.

   The Golden Hurricanes added a 2-under 286 in the afternoon to their opening round of 4-over 292. After opening with a 3-over 291, the Tar Heels added a 1-under 287 in the afternoon.

   Backing up Ortengren for Stanford was Megha Ganne, a junior from Holmdel, N.J. and No. 10 in the Women’s WAGR as she was among a trio tied for fourth place with a 4-under 140. The veteran Ganne carded back-to-back 2-under 70s in Monday’s double round.

   Paula Martin Sampedro, a sophomore from Spain and No. 13 in the Women’s WAGR, and Andrea Revuelta, a freshman from Spain and No. 5 in the Women’s WAGR, gave Stanford four players inside the top seven as they were tied for seventh place, each landing on 3-under 141.

   Martin Sampedro added a 1-under 71 in the afternoon to her opening round of 2-under 70. Sevuelta, the ACC’s individual champion, opened with a sparkling 4-under 68 and added a 1-over 73 in the afternoon.

   Rounding out the Stanford lineup was Kelly Xu, a junior from Claremont, Calif. and No. 27 in the Women’s WAGR who was among the group tied for 39^th place with a 4-over148 total. Xu matched par in the afternoon with a 72 after opening with a 4-over 76.

   Sharing the individual lead with Stanford’s Ortengren at 5-under was the Northwestern duo of Hsin Tai Lin, a freshman from Taiwan, and Ashley Yun, a sophomore from West Covina, Calif. and No. 95 in the Women’s WAGR.

   Tai Lin registered a sparkling 5-under 67 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round after matching par with a 72 in the morning. Yun added a 2-under 70 in the afternoon to her opening round of 3-under 69.

   In the Gold Canyon Regional, new Big 12 entry Arizona State, No. 8 in the Scoreboard rankings and the two seed in the regional, grabbed a one-shot lead over perennial Big 12 power Oklahoma State with a 2-under 286.

   The Sun Devils were paced by Isla McDonald-O’Brien, a freshman from England, and another English woman, Patience Rhodes, a redshirt sophomore and No. 32 in the Women’s WAGR, as they were among the group tied for third place in the individual standings, each posting a 2-under 70 over the 6,544-yar, par-72 Superstition Mountain Golf & Country Club layout.

   Oklahoma State, No. 29 in the Scoreboard rankings and seeded fifth in the regional, was a shot behind Arizona State in second place with a 1-under 287 total.

   Big Ten champion Oregon, No. 5 in the Scoreboard rankings and the top seed in the regional, and SEC power Auburn, No. 17 in the Scoreboard rankings and seeded third in the regional, were tied for third place, each landing on 1-over 289, two shots behind Oklahoma State.

   Another SEC entry, Mississippi State, No. 20 in the Scoreboard rankings and seeded fourth in the regional, was another two shots behind Oregon and Auburn in fifth place with a 3-over 291 total.

   Auburn was led by Anna Davis, the standout sophomore from Spring Valley, Calif. and No. 11 in the Women’s WAGR, as she grabbed a share of the individual lead with Cal State Fullerton’s Davina Xanh, a junior from England, as each opened with a 3-under 69.

   Backing up McDonald-O’Brien and Rhodes for Arizona State was Paula Schultz-Hanssen, a junior from Germany and No. 72 in the Women’s WAGR, as she matched par with a 72 and was among the group tied for 11^th place.

   Rounding out the Arizona State lineup were Beth Coulter, a junior from England, and Grace Summerhays, a senior from Scottsdale, Ariz., as both finished in the group tied for 21^st place at 2-over 74.

   Rhodes and Coulter were teammates on the Great Britain & Ireland team that defeated Davis and the United States, 10.5-9.5, in last summer’s Curtis Cup Match at Sunningdale Golf Club in Berkshire, England.

   Off for a possible assignment caddying in a Women’s Golf Association of Philadelphia Inter-Club team match. I’ll get back to the women’s regionals when the dust settles later in the week, but couldn’t resist setting the table with the opening rounds.