Duke, Alabama share the lead after opening round of Franklin Regional

    Still hoping to catch up on some men’s conference championships, but the NCAA women’s regionals teed off Monday, so let’s see if I can wrap up the six tournaments going on all around the country this week …

   Duke had reached the semifinals of the NCAA Championship at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. a year ago, but were left shorthanded this season when Gina Kim, a member of the winning United States Curtis Cup team last summer at Conwy Golf Club in Caernarvonshire, Wales, left for the professional ranks during the midseason pause.

   It wasn’t a huge shock. Kim was ready to take the next step and the kind of player that has aspirations to play on the LPGA Tour is exactly what Duke head coach Dan Brooks is trying to recruit.

   But there the Blue Devils were after the opening round of the NCAA Franklin Regional Monday at the Vanderbilt Legends Course, tied atop the team leaderboard with Southeastern Conference power Alabama, each carding a 1-under-par 287 over the 6,450-yard, par-72 Vanderbilt Legends Club.

   Duke is seeded fourth and came into the Franklin Regional at No. 21 in the latest Golfstat rankings. The Blue Devils earned a spot in the semifinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship’s match-play bracket, but were ousted by Florida State.

   Alabama is No. 9 in the Golfstat rankings and seeded second in the Franklin Regional. The Crimson Tide reached the semifinals in the match-play bracket of the SEC Championship before falling to eventual champion LSU.

   Host Vanderbilt, ranked 35^th and seeded sixth, was a shot behind the top two in third place with an even-par 288 total. The Commodores are one of Alabama’s SEC rivals.

   Another SEC entry, Texas A&M, ranked 15^th and seeded third, was a shot behind Vanderbilt in fourth place with a 1-over 289 total. ACC champion Wake Forest, the top seed and ranked fourth, was three shots behind Texas A&M in fifth place with a 4-over 292 total.

   The top four finishers advance to the NCAA Championship, which returns to Grayhawk later this month.

   Duke was led by Erica Shepherd, a junior from Greenwood, Ind. and No. 35 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), and Anne Chen, a sophomore from Sugan Land, Texas, both of whom landed among the group tied for sixth place in the individual standings, each registering a 1-uner 71.

   The Blue Devils got a solid start from Rylie Heflin, the Avondale, Chester County resident who starred scholastically at Tower Hill School in Delaware. Heflin, winner of the Pennsylvania Junior Girls’ crown in 2017, got thrown into the deep end as a freshman this year and has just kept improving.

   Junior Phoebe Brinker, who starred scholastically at Archmere Academy and is No. 78 in the
Women’s WAGR, opened with a 1-over 73 and is in the group tied for 19^th place. Brinker was a runaway winner of the individual title in last month’s ACC Championship at The Reserve Golf Club of Pawleys Island in Pawleys Island, S.C.

   Rounding out the Duke lineup was Megan Furtney, a junior from St. Charles, Ill. who carded a solid 2-over 74 and was among the group tied for 28^th place. Furtney teamed with Shepherd to capture the U.S. Women’s Four-Ball Championship at Timuquana Country Club in Jacksonville, Fla. while Duke was embarking on a run to its seventh national championship three springs ago.

   Alabama was led by Polly Mack, a fifth-year player from Germany and No. 49 in the Women’s WAGR who grabbed the individual lead with a sparkling 7-under 65. Mack had a double bogey-bogey start to her round, but finished her round with seven straight birdies in a back-nine 29.

   Backing up Mack for the Crimson Tide were Benedetta Moresco, a sophomore from Italy and No. 19 in the Women’s WAGR, and Emilie Overas, a junior from Norway, both of whom carded a 1-over 73 to land in the group tied for 19^th place.

   Benedetta Moresco’s older sister Angelica, a graduate student, added a 4-over 76 and was in the group tied for 43^rd place and Isabella van der Biest, a freshman from Kingsport, Tenn., rounded out the Alabama lineup as she posted a 78 to end up in the group tied for 54^th place.

   East Tennessee State’s Hollie Muse, a senior from England whose college career began at Arizona, was a shot behind Mack in second place in the individual standings with a 6-under 66. Texas A&M’s Jennie Park, a junior from Carrollton, Texas who started her college career at TCU, was another three shots behind Muse in third place with a 3-under 69.

   Wake Forest’s Rachel Kuehn, a junior from Asheville, N.C. and No. 9 in the Women’s WAGR, carded a 2-under 70 and shared fourth place with Boston University’s Flair Kuan, a sophomore from China who won the Patriot League individual crown, leading the Terriers to the team title in the process.

   Kuehn will represent the United States for the second time in nine months when the Red, White & Blue takes on Great Britain & Ireland in the Curtis Cup Match next month at Merion Golf Club’s iconic East Course in the Ardmore section of Haverford Township.

   In the Ann Arbor Regional, another SEC power, Arkansas, ranked No. 20 and seeded fourth, jumped in front in the team standings behind individual co-leader Ela Anacona, a junior from Argentina who carded a 2-under 69 over the 6, 265-yard, par-71 U-M Golf Course.

   Anacona’s strong start helped the Razorbacks open with a 7-over 291 total that was two shots clear of  Michigan, the host team coming off the first Big Ten Championship victory in the program’s history, and Washington out of the Pac-12.

   The Wolverines are ranked 18^th and seeded third and the upstart Huskies are ranked 43^rd and seeded eighth.

   No. 8 Virginia, the second seed out of the ACC, and top-seeded and fifth-ranked San Jose State, the Mountain West Conference champion, were tied for fourth place, a shot behind Michigan and Washington as each posted a 10-over 294 total.

   Backing up Anacona for Arkansas were three Razorbacks, all of whom landed in the group tied for 23^rd place at 3-over 74, including Kajal Mistry, a junior from South Africa, Julia Gregg, a junior from Farmer’s Branch, Texas, and Miriam Ayora, a sophomore from Spain.

   Rounding out the Arkansas lineup was Ffion Tynan, a freshman from Wales who carded a 5-over 76.

   Sharing the top spot in the individual standings was Old Dominion’s Jana Melichova, a senior from the Czech Republic who matched Anacona’s 2-under 69. Melichova is competing as an individual after finishing in a tie for third place in the Conference-USA Championship.

   San Jose State’s Natasha Andrea Oon, a senior from Malaysia and No. 10 in the Women’s WAGR, and Washington’s Stefanie Deng, a sophomore from China, were tied for third place, each carding a 1-under 70, one shot behind Melichova.

   It was a solid start for Virginia sophomore Jennifer Cleary, who starred scholastically at Tower Hill School, as she was among the group tied for 13^th place with a 2-over 73.

   In the Tallahassee Regional, UCLA, a perennial Pac-12 power, traveled across the country and grabbed a two-shot lead with an even-par 288 total over the 6,292-yard, par-72 Seminole Legacy Golf Course. The Bruins are No. 10 in the latest Golfstat rankings and are seeded second.

   Host Florida State, out of the ACC, is in second place after posting a 2-over 290. The 16^th-ranked Seminoles are seeded third. Upstart Mississippi State, ranked 34^th and seeded sixth out of the SEC, was another shot behind Florida State in third place with a 3-over 291 total.

   Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference champion Quinnipiac, ranked 149^th and seeded 12^th in the 12-team field, found itself in a tie for fourth place with top-seeded and fourth-ranked South Carolina, an SEC power, and No. 39 Miami, the seventh seed out of the ACC, each landing on 11-over 299, eight shots behind Mississippi State.

   UCLA was led by Emma Spitz, a junior from Austria and No. 7 in the Women’s WAGR, and Caroline Canales, a freshman from Calabasas, Calif., both of whom were among a trio of players tied for third place in the individual standings at 2-under 70.

   Emilie Paltrinieri, a junior from Italy, gave UCLA a third player in the top seven as she matched par with a 72 that left her in the group tied for seventh place.

   Zoe Antoinette Campos, a freshman from Valencia, Calif., was among the group tied for 34^th place with a 4-over 76 and Alessia Nobilio, a redshirt freshman from Italy and No. 72 in the Women’s WAGR, rounded out the UCLA lineup as she was in the group tied for 54^th place after posting a 79.

   Florida State’s Beatrice Wallin, a senior from Sweden and No. 6 in the Women’s WAGR, and Mississippi State’s Ashley Gilliam, a sophomore from Manchester, Tenn., were tied atop the leaderboard after the opening round, each posting a 3-under 69.

   Joining UCLA’s Spitz and Canales in the trio tied for third place, a shot behind the co-leaders at 2-under 70, was Quinnipiac’s Kaylee Sakoda, a junior from Cypress, Calif.

   In the Stillwater Regional, Baylor’s Britta Snyder, a sophomore from Ames, Iowa, grabbed the individual lead with a 3-under 69 over the 6,303-yard, par-72 Karsten Creek Golf Club layout to help the Bears land atop the leaderboard in the team standings.

   Baylor, ranked 17^th and seeded third out of the Big 12, opened with a 4-over 292 to take a one-shot lead over Clemson, ranked 31^st and seeded sixth out of the ACC.

   Host and top-seeded Oklahoma State, Baylor’s Big 12 rival, and the Pac-12’s Arizona State, ranked seventh and seeded second, are looming in a tie for third place as each opened with an 8-over 296.

   Oklahoma State, which lost to Mississippi in the Final Match in the NCAA Championship a year ago, is No. 6 in the latest Golfstat rankings. But, as I mentioned in the post I did on the Big 12 Championship, the Cowgirls have lost a couple of their top players in Caley McGinty and Isabella Fierro, both of whom entered the transfer portal since the beginning of the spring portion of the wraparound 2021-2022 season.

   Michigan State, ranked 30^th and seeded fifth out of the Big Ten, was seven shots behind Oklahoma State and Arizona State in fifth place with a 15-over 303 total.

   Backing up Snyder for Baylor was Rosie Belsham, a sophomore from England who matched par with a 72 and was among the group tied for fifth place.

   Gurleen Kaur, a fifth-year player from Houston and No. 59 in the Women’s WAGR, posted a 3-over 75 that left her in the group tied for 15^th place. Addie Baggarly, a senior from Jonesborough, Tenn. who transferred to Baylor after an outstanding career at Florida, was a shot behind Kaur with a 4-over 76 that left her in the group tied for 21^st place.

   Rounding out the Baylor lineup was Hannah Kang, a junior from Germany who was among the group tied for 39^th place with an 80.

   Three players stood in a tie for second place in the individual standings, two shots behind Snyder, as Arizona State’s Ashley Menna, a sophomore from Surprise, Ariz. and No. 63 in the Women’s WAGR, and the Clemson pair of Savannah Grewal, a sophomore from Canada, and Callista Rice, a senior from Mars Hill, N.C., each landed on 1-under 71.

   In the Albuquerque Regional, Pac-12 champion Oregon continued its spring roll as the Ducks, ranked No.  2 and top-seeded, landed atop the team leaderboard behind individual leader Briana Chacon, a junior from Whittier, Calif. and No. 98 in the Women’s WAGR.

   Chacon signed for a sparkling 7-under 65 over the 6,256-yard, par-72 University of New Mexico Championship Course, to lead a quartet of players by three shots.

   Oregon finished with an opening round of 4-under 284 to take a three-shot lead over Big 12 champion Texas, ranked 13^th and seeded third, as the Longhorns posted a solid 1-under 287. SEC power Florida, ranked 11^th and seeded second, was a shot behind Texas in third place as the Gators matched par with a 288 total.

   Another Big 12 entry, No. 33 and sixth-seeded TCU, and another SEC power, No. 28 and fifth-seeded Georgia, were four shots behind Florida in a tie for fourth place, each ending up with a 4-over 292 total.

   Backing up Chacon for Oregon was Hsin-Yu (Cynthia) Lu, a sophomore from Taiwan who claimed the Pac-12’s individual crown on her home course at Eugene Country Club. Lu was among the group tied for eighth place after registering a 1-under 71.

   Sofie Kebsgaard Nielsen, a junior from Denmark, was in the group tied for 17^th place as she posted a 1-over 73.

   Rounding out the Oregon lineup were a couple of Lu’s country women from Taiwan, senior Tze-Han (Heather) Lin and junior Chang-Tzu Chen, both of whom landed among the group tied for 34^th place as each carded a 3-over 75.

   Florida’s Marina Escobar, a junior from Spain, TCU’s Sabrina Iqbal, a senior from San Jose, Calif., Georgia’s Jenny Bae, a senior from Suwanee, Ga. and No. 89 in the Women’s WAGR, and Texas’ Bentley Cotton, a sophomore from Austin, Texas, were tied for second place, as each ended up three shots behind Chacon with a 4-under 68.

   In the Stanford Regional, SEC champion LSU, behind individual leader Latanna Stone, a senior from Riverview, Fla. and No. 39 in the Women’s WAGR, stayed hot as the Bayou Tigers carded a 5-under 279 over the 6,267-yard, par-71 Stanford Golf Course layout to take a one-shot lead.

   Stone posted a 4-under 67 to take a one-shot over Iowa State’s Ruby Chou, a sophomore from Taiwan, in the individual standings.

   LSU, No. 14 in the latest Golfstat rankings and seeded third, has a couple of perennial Pac-12 powers in No. 12 Southern California, the second seed, and host Stanford, the No. 1 team in the country and the top seed, right on its heels. The Trojans are a shot behind LSU in second place after registering a 4-under 280 and the Cardinal were three shots behind Southern Cal in third place with a 1-under 283 total.

   No. 48 Purdue, the eighth seed out of the Big Ten, was another two shots behind Stanford in fourth place after carding a 1-over 285.

   Purdue’s Big Ten rival, No. 37 Northwestern, seeded seventh, and sixth-seeded Iowa State, ranked 36^th out of the Big 12, were two shots behind the Boilermakers in a tie for fifth place after each registered a 3-over 287.

   Backing up Stone was Ingrid Lindblad, a junior from Sweden and No. 2 in the Women’s WAGR who was one of five players tied for third place in the individual standings with a 2-under 69. Lindblad, coming off a victory in the Big 12’s individual chase at the Greystone Golf & Country Club in Birmingham, Ala., and Stone shared runnerup honors in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship.

   Carla Tejedo, a sophomore from Spain, gave LSU a third player inside the top eight as she posted a 1-under 70 to land in the group tied for eighth place. Jessica Bailey, a senior from England, was in the group tied for 22^nd place after signing for a 2-over 73.

   Rounding out the LSU lineup was Elsa Svensson, a freshman from Sweden who registered a 2-over 74 and was among the group tied for 31^st place.

   Among those joining Lindblad in the stellar group tied for third place in the individual chase at 2-under was Stanford’s Rose Zhang, a freshman from Irvine, Calif. and the No. 1 player in the Women’s WAGR.

   Zhang’s teammate, Brooke Seay, a junior from San Diego, also carded a 69 to join the group tied for third place. Another freshman phenom, Southern California’s Ameri Avery of Riverside, Calif., also posted a 69.

   Zhang and Avery will be teammates on the U.S. team in next month’s Curtis Cup Match at Merion and Seay is an alternate for the team.

   Rounding out the quintet tied for third place at 2-under was Purdue’s Safit Sagoo, a junior from India.