Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Stun USC, Advance to NCAA Championship Finals
5/24/2017 11:38:00 AM | Women's Golf
SUGAR GROVE, Ill. — Northwestern women's golf pulled off a come-from-behind stunner in the semifinals of NCAA Championships Match Play over Southern California, the sixth-ranked team in the nation.
The top-seeded Wildcats advance to the final round against Arizona State at Rich Harvest Farms, which will begin at 2:10 p.m. CT. Golf Channel coverage will start at 3 p.m. CT.
"It feels pretty special. It's a culmination of so much work from these kids," said head coach Emily Fletcher. "We're excited to watch them go after it this afternoon."
The final round will determine the national champion of NCAA Division I women's golf.
The semifinal round began in the early afternoon of Tuesday and saw a two-hour, 20-minute lightning delay as well as an overnight hiatus due to darkness.
At 9 a.m., Wednesday morning, the 'Cats trailed the Trojans of USC by a 4-1-0 clip. An insurmountable lead it was not — three of the four Southern California leads were by only one hole. But time was not on Northwestern's side. The Wildcats were between the 12th and 15th holes.
However, the night's sleep and the reset was on Northwestern's side.
The 'Cats came out of the gate strong. Hannah Kim rolled in a 25-foot putt on No. 15 and, nearly simultaneously, Stephanie Lau chipped in from the front of the green on No. 12. Both those hole wins squared up their respective matches.
Kim never looked back. She won No. 16 and No. 17 to defeat Robynn Ree of USC 2&1.
Cho, the only Wildcat with a lead entering the resumption of play, took care of business by defeating Victoria Morgan 2&1.
With two points on the board, Northwestern needed only one more to send them to their first-ever trip to the final round of the NCAA Championships.
That would take a bit of time. And determination.
Kacie Komoto, the lone senior in Northwestern's lineup, faced a 3-down disadvantage after No. 15. So she won No. 16. And No. 17. And No. 18.
So her match against USC's Muni He moved into extra holes. On the 19th hole of the round, He had a strong up-and-down from close to the hazard to give her the 1-up victory.
Lau also fell to her Trojan foe, 2&1, despite her strong start in the morning.
So the Wildcats' national championship fates were in the hands of Janet Mao, NU's low scorer in the three-round stroke play that saw them with a sizable first-place lead.
Mao, similar to Kim, faced a significant disadvantage, falling back to 2-down to start the day. Like the rest of her teammates, quit was not in the cards. The sophomore won the 16th hole and halved the 17th hole. 1-down heading into the final hole, she needed a win to advance.
So, she won.
Like Komoto, she started on her 19th hole of the round. Both Mao and her opponent Gabriella Then had relatively difficult times with their second shots, as Mao was in the greenside bunker and Then was plugged in the rough nearer to the hole.
Mao put her bunker shot to within eight feet. Then's pitch was even closer.
With ice in her veins, Mao stared down the putt and drained it. Then missed.
"Janet embraced match play," said Fletcher. "She's such a competitor and she would be the one that would want that putt. It was sweet redemption for her. She struggled a little bit at the Big Ten Championship and for her to be the one to push us to the finals was really sweet."
As the Northwestern squad celebrated with their head coach Emily Fletcher, assistant coach Beth Miller, and the sizable contingent of purple who made the trip out to Rich Harvest Farms, the next task lay ever-present on their minds.
A matchup with Arizona State to determine the national champion of Division I women's golf.
Said Mao: "Let's keep our fire going and go out there, give it our all and see what we can do."
The top-seeded Wildcats advance to the final round against Arizona State at Rich Harvest Farms, which will begin at 2:10 p.m. CT. Golf Channel coverage will start at 3 p.m. CT.
"It feels pretty special. It's a culmination of so much work from these kids," said head coach Emily Fletcher. "We're excited to watch them go after it this afternoon."
The final round will determine the national champion of NCAA Division I women's golf.
The semifinal round began in the early afternoon of Tuesday and saw a two-hour, 20-minute lightning delay as well as an overnight hiatus due to darkness.
At 9 a.m., Wednesday morning, the 'Cats trailed the Trojans of USC by a 4-1-0 clip. An insurmountable lead it was not — three of the four Southern California leads were by only one hole. But time was not on Northwestern's side. The Wildcats were between the 12th and 15th holes.
However, the night's sleep and the reset was on Northwestern's side.
The 'Cats came out of the gate strong. Hannah Kim rolled in a 25-foot putt on No. 15 and, nearly simultaneously, Stephanie Lau chipped in from the front of the green on No. 12. Both those hole wins squared up their respective matches.
Kim never looked back. She won No. 16 and No. 17 to defeat Robynn Ree of USC 2&1.
Cho, the only Wildcat with a lead entering the resumption of play, took care of business by defeating Victoria Morgan 2&1.
With two points on the board, Northwestern needed only one more to send them to their first-ever trip to the final round of the NCAA Championships.
That would take a bit of time. And determination.
Kacie Komoto, the lone senior in Northwestern's lineup, faced a 3-down disadvantage after No. 15. So she won No. 16. And No. 17. And No. 18.
So her match against USC's Muni He moved into extra holes. On the 19th hole of the round, He had a strong up-and-down from close to the hazard to give her the 1-up victory.
Lau also fell to her Trojan foe, 2&1, despite her strong start in the morning.
So the Wildcats' national championship fates were in the hands of Janet Mao, NU's low scorer in the three-round stroke play that saw them with a sizable first-place lead.
Mao, similar to Kim, faced a significant disadvantage, falling back to 2-down to start the day. Like the rest of her teammates, quit was not in the cards. The sophomore won the 16th hole and halved the 17th hole. 1-down heading into the final hole, she needed a win to advance.
So, she won.
Like Komoto, she started on her 19th hole of the round. Both Mao and her opponent Gabriella Then had relatively difficult times with their second shots, as Mao was in the greenside bunker and Then was plugged in the rough nearer to the hole.
Mao put her bunker shot to within eight feet. Then's pitch was even closer.
With ice in her veins, Mao stared down the putt and drained it. Then missed.
MAO WOW.#ColdBlooded #BurnTheShips #B1GCats https://t.co/uVH2PCtl05
— #B1GCats Golf (@NUGolf_Live) May 24, 2017
"Janet embraced match play," said Fletcher. "She's such a competitor and she would be the one that would want that putt. It was sweet redemption for her. She struggled a little bit at the Big Ten Championship and for her to be the one to push us to the finals was really sweet."
As the Northwestern squad celebrated with their head coach Emily Fletcher, assistant coach Beth Miller, and the sizable contingent of purple who made the trip out to Rich Harvest Farms, the next task lay ever-present on their minds.
A matchup with Arizona State to determine the national champion of Division I women's golf.
Said Mao: "Let's keep our fire going and go out there, give it our all and see what we can do."
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