Northwestern University Athletics
Mao Leads 'Cats On Opening Day At East Lake Cup
10/30/2017 7:51:00 PM | Women's Golf
By: Dominic Cotroneo
ATLANTA, GA — Junior Janet Mao, a native of nearby Johns Creek, Georgia, finished tied for second in the individual championship of the 2017 East Lake Cup. The Wildcats finished third as a team in the first of three days of competition at East Lake Golf Club [Par-72; 6,206 Yards].
LIVE SCORES (via Golfstat)
Even on a chilly morning with temperatures in the 40s, Mao started hot with three birdies in her first five holes. "I just hit some solid shots, nothing too crazy," Mao said after her 1-under 71. "When I was in the fairway I was hitting the right spots on the greens."
Coming down the stretch, Mao was trailing by one for the final two holes. She gave herself two looks at birdie on 17 and 18, but ultimately finished with back-to-back pars to finish one stroke back. "I tried to finish strong, and I gave myself opportunities to," Mao said.
"For her to have a putt on the last hole to be co-medalist, it was a great round today," head coach Emily Fletcher said after the round. "The golf course was demanding, and we really were hanging in there, we had some really good chances coming down the stretch."
Northwestern – 3/4 • 298 (+16)
T2 – Janet Mao –71 (-1)
T9 – Sarah Cho -- 75 (+3)
T12 – Hannah Kim -- 76 (+4)
T12 – Brooke Riley -- 76 (+4)
15 – Stephanie Lau –78 (+6)
The tournament is a bit of a homecoming for Mao with her high school, Johns Creek, just 40 minutes to the north. "I've never played at East Lake, but I've been out here for the Tour Championship so it's kind of fun to see the golf course from that perspective," Mao said.
"I'm really proud of her," Fletcher said. "Hometown girl, really pleased for her and proud of her effort today."
In the third year of the prestigious event, the 'Cats are enjoying the history of the course. "It's a tremendous opportunity for us to be able to take our team down here and partake in this," Fletcher said. "It's really historic here," Mao added. "So being able to just be here is cool."
Northwestern will face the University of Southern California [2nd, 297 (+15)] in the first round of match play championship of the East Lake Cup. The pairing is a rematch of the 2017 NCAA Semifinal that Mao clinched with a putt on the sudden-death 19th hole at Rich Harvest Farms to send the Wildcats into the championship match. Live television coverage begins at 2:00 CDT on Golf Channel.
ATLANTA, GA — Junior Janet Mao, a native of nearby Johns Creek, Georgia, finished tied for second in the individual championship of the 2017 East Lake Cup. The Wildcats finished third as a team in the first of three days of competition at East Lake Golf Club [Par-72; 6,206 Yards].
LIVE SCORES (via Golfstat)
Even on a chilly morning with temperatures in the 40s, Mao started hot with three birdies in her first five holes. "I just hit some solid shots, nothing too crazy," Mao said after her 1-under 71. "When I was in the fairway I was hitting the right spots on the greens."
We brought a secret weapon to the #EastLakeCup: @WillieWildcatNU (and those incredible pants)!! ??#B1GCats pic.twitter.com/uCRYQW03Lv
— #B1GCats Golf (@NUGolf_Live) October 30, 2017
Coming down the stretch, Mao was trailing by one for the final two holes. She gave herself two looks at birdie on 17 and 18, but ultimately finished with back-to-back pars to finish one stroke back. "I tried to finish strong, and I gave myself opportunities to," Mao said.
"For her to have a putt on the last hole to be co-medalist, it was a great round today," head coach Emily Fletcher said after the round. "The golf course was demanding, and we really were hanging in there, we had some really good chances coming down the stretch."
Northwestern – 3/4 • 298 (+16)
T2 – Janet Mao –71 (-1)
T9 – Sarah Cho -- 75 (+3)
T12 – Hannah Kim -- 76 (+4)
T12 – Brooke Riley -- 76 (+4)
15 – Stephanie Lau –78 (+6)
The tournament is a bit of a homecoming for Mao with her high school, Johns Creek, just 40 minutes to the north. "I've never played at East Lake, but I've been out here for the Tour Championship so it's kind of fun to see the golf course from that perspective," Mao said.
"I'm really proud of her," Fletcher said. "Hometown girl, really pleased for her and proud of her effort today."
.@NU_Sports head coach Emily Fletcher reflects on the Wildcats historic run in the women's 2017 #NCAAGolf Championship. #EastLakeCup pic.twitter.com/lNjvtXKmzg
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) October 30, 2017
In the third year of the prestigious event, the 'Cats are enjoying the history of the course. "It's a tremendous opportunity for us to be able to take our team down here and partake in this," Fletcher said. "It's really historic here," Mao added. "So being able to just be here is cool."
No doubt, there are future champions in this picture. #EastLakeCup pic.twitter.com/yhqd4FJmw8
— East Lake Cup (@eastlakecup) October 31, 2017
Northwestern will face the University of Southern California [2nd, 297 (+15)] in the first round of match play championship of the East Lake Cup. The pairing is a rematch of the 2017 NCAA Semifinal that Mao clinched with a putt on the sudden-death 19th hole at Rich Harvest Farms to send the Wildcats into the championship match. Live television coverage begins at 2:00 CDT on Golf Channel.
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