With Brynn Walker, a two-time PIAA Class AAA champion at
Radnor, carding a clutch 1-under-par 71 Tuesday, North Carolina gave itself a
chance for a second straight trip to the NCAA Championship, but there is still
work to do for the Tar Heels, No. 24 in the latest Golfstat rankings, in the San Francisco Regional at TPC Harding
Park.
North Carolina’s 4-over 292 in chilly weather over the
6,309-yard, par-73 TPC Harding Park layout left it tied for seventh with No. 32
Louisville at 15-over 581 after two rounds of the San Francisco Regional. The
top six teams following Wednesday’s final round advance to the NCAA
Championship, which tees off May 18 at Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater,
Okla.
The San Francisco Regional is the most tightly bunched of
the four regionals being contested around the country with North Carolina and
Louisville trailing No. 5 Stanford, seeded second, and No. 16 Kent State, the
co-leaders at 2-under 574, by just seven shots.
Stanford, playing close to home, matched the low round of
the day with a 1-under 287, the Cardinal’s second straight 1-under round while
Kent State added a 2-over 290 to its opening-round 284. Pac-12 champion UCLA,
ranked No. 1 and the top seed, is just a shot behind the top two after the
Bruins added a 7-over 295 to the opening round of 8-under 280 that gave them
the lead Monday.
No. 40 Mississippi matched Stanford’s 1-under 287 to get a
share of fourth with No. 56 Oregon at 1-over 577. The Ducks added a 2-over 290
to their opening-round 287. No. 17 Oklahoma State is alone in sixth at 4-over
580, a shot ahead of North Carolina and Louisville, after a solid 1-over 289.
Stanford got a solid 3-under 69 from Ziyi Wang, a sophomore
from China, that gave her a share of second in the individual standings with
teammate Andrea Lee, a sophomore from Hermosa Beach, Calif. and the No. 5
player in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR).
Lee, who will represent the United States in the Walker Cup
Match against Great Britain & Ireland next month at Quaker Ridge Golf Club
in Scarsdale, N.Y., struggled to a 2-over 74 after opening up with a 66. Wang,
who opened with a 1-under 71, joined Lee at 4-uneder 140.
They are one shot behind the individual leader, Pepperdine’s
Hira Naveed, a junior from Australia who had the round of the day, a 5-under 67
that left her at 5-under 139.
Stanford has a pair of players in the group tied for 38th
at 3-over 147. Albane Valenzuela, a sophomore from Switzerland and the No. 4
player in the Women’s WAGR, added an even-par 72 to her opening-round 75 and
Mika Liu, a freshman from Beverly Hills, Calif., matched that effort, posting a
72 after opening with a 75.
Rounding out the Stanford lineup was Shannon Aubert, a
senior from Stuart, Fla. who is tied for 59th at 6-over 150 after a
solid 2-over 74. Valenzuela and Aubert were two of the stars of last summer’s
U.S. Women’s Amateur at San Diego Country Club, where Valenzuela was the
runnerup and Aubert was the qualifying medalist.
Leading the way for Kent State is Karoline Stormo, a sophomore
from Norway who is in the group tied for 12th at 1-under 143 after
matching par Tuesday.
A pair of Kent State players, Pimnipa Panthong, a sophomore
from Thailand and the No. 10 player in the Women’s WAGR, and Michaela Finn, a
junior from Sweden, are in the group tied
for 19th at even-par 144. Panthong added a 73 to her
opening-round 71 while Finn’s 1-under 71 Tuesday was Kent State’s best round of
the day.
Kory Nielsen, a freshman home girl from Kent, Ohio, is in
the group tied for 29th at 146 after adding a 74 to her
opening-round 72. Rounding out the Kent State lineup was Chloe Salort, a
freshman from France who fell back with a 77 after leading the way for Kent
State with an opening-round 70. She is in the group tied for 38th at
3-over 147.
Walker, a sophomore, moved into a tie for 12th at
1-under 143 with her 1-under round after opening with an even-par 72 to lead
the way for North Carolina. Kelly Whaley, a junior from Farmington, Conn. who
has been the Tar Heels’ best player this spring, added a 73 to her
opening-round 71 and is in the group tied for 19th at even-par 144.
Ava Bergner, a freshman from Germany who was the Tar Heels’
best player during the fall portion of the season, is in the group tied for 29th
at 2-over 146 after adding a 76 to her opening-round 70. Bryana Nguyen, a
senior from Columbia, Md., was also clutch as her experience showed with an
even-par 72 that left her in the group tied for 43rd at 4-over 148.
Rounding out the North Carolina lineup was Mariana Ocano, a
sophomore from St. Petersburg, Fla. who is in the group tied for 87th
at 159 after carding an 80.
In the Madison Regional, Duke, ranked fourth and the top
seed, took control of the team race behind a masterful 7-under 65 by two-time
Annika Award winner Leona Maguire, a senior from Ireland.
The effort by Maguire, the No. 2 player in the Women’s WAGR,
helped the Blue Devils fire a solid 8-under 279 over the 6,313-yard, par-72
University Ridge Golf Course layout for a 14-under 562 total.
That gave them an eight-shot lead over ACC rival Virginia,
ranked 31st, which added a 3-over 291 to its opening-round 279 for a
6-under 570 total. No. 6 Southern California, seeded second, is in third place
at 3-under 573 after adding an even-par 288 to its opening-round 285.
No. 12 Arizona State, the defending national champion, and
No. 53 Oregon State, are tied for fourth at 2-under 574. The Sun Devils added a
2-under 286 to their opening-round 288 while the Beavers added a solid 3-under 285 to their opening-round 289.
Isabella DiLisio, the 2013 PIAA Class AAA champion as a
junior at Mount St. Joseph, and No. 47 Notre Dame remained in 14th
at 20-over 596 after adding a 287 to its opening-round 299.
Maguire’s opening-round 74 was tossed by Duke and I
predicted in Monday’s post that that wouldn’t happen again. It did not. Her
brilliant 65 left her in a tie for third with Ohio State’s Jaclyn Lee, a junior
from Canada, in the individual standings at 5-under 139.
The Blue Devils got a second straight solid 2-under 70 from
Ana Belac, a sophomore from Slovenia who is tied for fifth with Virginia’s Beth
Lillie, a freshman from Fullerton, Calif., at 4-under 140.
Jaravee Boonchant, a talented freshman from Thailand, and
Virginia Elena Carta, a junior from Italy and the No. 25 player in the Women’s
WAGR, are both in the group tied for 24th at even-par 144. Boonchant
carded a second straight 72 while Carta, the runaway NCAA individual champion
two years ago, fell back with a 76 after opening with a sparkling 4-under 68.
One of the keys to Duke’s lead has been the play of Leona
Maguire’s twin sister Lisa. She has struggled at times at Duke while her sister
has become one of the top amateur players in the world. But Lisa Maguire’s 73
in Monday’s opening round picked up her sister and her even-par 72 Tuesday allowed
the Blue Devils to toss Carta’s 76. Lisa Maguire is tied for 30th at
1-over 145, but she is making her presence felt for the Dookies.
The individual lead belongs to Oregon State’s Nicole
Schroeder, a sophomore from Rocklin, Calif. who added a sizzling 6-under 66 to
her opening-round 68 for a 10-under 134 total that gave her a four-shot lead.
Indiana’s Eric Harper, a junior from Dublin, Ohio, is Schroeder’s closest
pursuer at 6-under 138 after adding a 4-under 69 to her opening-round 70.
Lee, the newly crowned Big Ten champion, fired a 4-under 68
to get her share of third with Leona Maguire at 5-under 139. Lillie added a
1-over 73 to her opening-round 67 to join Duke’s Belac in the tie for fifth at
4-under 140.
Penn State junior Cara Basso, the 2012 PIAA Class AA
champion as a sophomore at Villa Maria Academy who is competing as an
individual in Madison, is in the group tied for 44th at 3-over 147
after adding a 2-over 73 to her opening-round 74.
The Notre Dame contingent was led by Emma Albrecht, a junior
from Ormond Beach, Fla., and Abby Heck a freshman from Memphis, Tenn., both of
whom are in the group tied for 52nd at 4-over 148. Albrecht added a 75 to her
opening-round 73 while Heck’s 1-over 73 Tuesday was the best round of the day
for the Fighting Irish.
Maddie Rose Hamilton, a junior from Louisville, Ky., added a
76 to her opening-round 74 and is in the group tied for 62nd at 150. Mia Ayer,
a sophomore from Waco, Texas, is another shot behind Hamilton in the group tied
for 65th at 151 after carding a solid 2-over 74.
DiLisio, a junior, recovered from a terrible start, an opening-round
88, to post a 3-over 75 and is alone in 93rd at 163.
In the Tallahassee Regional, Alabama, ranked second and the
top seed, surged in front behind its trio of players who are ranked among the
top 14 in the Women’s WAGR.
The Crimson Tide fired a 12-under 276 over the 6,342-yard,
par-72 Don Veller Seminole Golf Club layout after opening with a 282 for an
18-under 558 total. That left them four shots in front of No. 52 Washington,
which followed up its other-worldly 273 in the opening round with a 1-over 289
for a 14-under 562 total.
No. 28 Florida State, playing on its home course, fired an
11-under 277 to share third with No. 7 Furman, seeded second, at 13-under 563.
The Paladins added a 5-under 283 to their opening-round 280. No. 29 Clemson is
alone in fifth at 12-under 564 after a solid 9-under 279 and it’s another seven
shots back to No. 10 Arizona in sixth at 5-under 571 after a 7-under 281 for
the Wildcats.
Leading the way for Alabama was Lauren Stephenson, a junior
from Lexington, S.C. and the No. 6 player in the Women’s WAGR. Stephenson added
a 3-under 69 to her opening-round 67 to join a group of four players tied for
fourth in the individual standings at 8-under 136.
Kristen Gillman, a junior from Austin, Texas and No. 13 in
the Women’s WAGR, and Cheyenne Knight, a junior from Aledo, Texas and No. 14 in
the Women’s WAGR, are in the group tied for ninth at 4-under 140 after both
carded a 4-under 68. Stephenson and Gillman were chosen to the U.S. team for
next month’s Curtis Cup Match.
Alabama is also getting solid golf from Angelica Moresco, a
freshman from Italy who is in the group tied for 20th at 2-under 142
with a pair of 1-under 71s. Rounding out the Alabama lineup is veteran senior
Lakareber Abe of Angleton, Texas who is in the group tied for 60th
at 151 after adding a 75 to her opening-round 76.
Another U.S. Curtis Cup team member, Wake Forest’s Jennifer
Kupcho, a junior from Westminster, Colo. and No. 3 in the Women’s WAGR, fired a
brilliant 8-under 64 to take over the individual lead at 10-under 134.
Right on her heels at 9-under 135 are Florida State’s Amanda
Doherty, a sophomore from Atlanta, and Washington’s Sarah Rhee, a junior from
Seattle. Doherty blitzed her home course with a sparkling 6-under 66 while Rhee,
added a 4-under 68 to her opening-round 67.
Joining Alabama’s Stephenson in the foursome tied for fourth
at 6-under 138 were Furman’s Natalie Srinivasan, a sophomore from Spartanburg,
S.C. who carded a 1-under 71, Georgia’s Jillian Hollis, a junior from Rocky
River, Ohio and No. 24 in the Women’s WAGR who fired a second straight 68, and
Tennessee’s Micheala Williams, a sophomore from Athens, Ala. who posted a
3-under 69.
In the Austin Regional, No. 3 Arkansas, the top seed, ripped
off a spectacular 17-under 271 round over the 6,341-yard, par-72 University of
Texas Golf Club layout to take command of the team race.
The Southeastern Conference champion Razorbacks, with three
players in the top four in the individual standings, are at 21-under 555 after
their blazing round. Host Texas, ranked eighth and seeded second, is 11 shots
behind Arkansas at 10-under 566 after the Big 12 champion Longhorns added a 3-under
285 to their opening-round 281.
It’s another 12 shots back to No. 14 Florida in third at
2-over 578 as the Gators added a 1-under 287 to their opening-round 291.
Four teams are tied for fourth at 5-over 581, including No.
35 Baylor and No. 54 Virginia Tech, both of which carded a 5-over 293, No. 21
Oklahoma, which fired a solid 6-under 282, and No. 38 Texas A&M, which
posted a 2-under 286.
Texas A&M’s Maddie Szeryk, a senior from Allen, Texas,
held on to the individual lead, adding a 3-under 69 to her opening-round 67 for
a 7-under 137 total.
But she has a pack of Razorbacks chasing her, led by Dylan
Kim, a junior from Plano, Texas who is a shot behind Szeryk in second at
6-under 138 after adding a 4-under 68 to her opening-round 70. A shot behind
Kim in third at 5-under 139 is her teammate Maria Fassi, a junior from Mexico
and No. 18 in the Women’s WAGR who added a 2-under 70 to her opening-round 69.
In fourth at 4-under 140 is yet another Razorback, Kaylee
Benton, a junior from Buckeye, Ariz. who matched Kim’s 68 after opening up with
a 72.
But in a testament to the depth of talent Arkansas
possesses, none of those three had the low round of the day for the Razorbacks.
That belonged to Alana Uriell, a senior from Carlsbad, Calif. who, after
opening with a disappointing 78, ripped off a stunning 7-under 65, easily the
low round of the day. It moved her into a tie for 16th at 1-under
143.
Rounding out the Arkansas lineup was Cara Gorlei, a junior
from South Africa who is in the group tied for 39th at 4-over 148
after adding a 75 to her opening-round 73.
A trio of players are tied for fifth, a shot behind
Arkansas’ Benton at 3-under 141, including Brigham Young’s Rose Huang, a junior
from Honolulu, Hawaii who carded a 2-under 70, Virginia Tech’s Amanda
Hollandsworth, a redshirt junior from Floyd, Va. who had a 1-under 71, and
Texas’ Emilee Hoffman, a sophomore from
Folsom, Calif. who posted a 3-under 69.
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