Northwestern University Athletics
Wildcats Take Down No. 1 UCLA At March Mayhem
3/26/2018 11:07:00 PM | Women's Golf
RANCHO SANTA FE, Calif. – No. 13 Northwestern knocked off No. 1 UCLA in Monday's opening match play round of San Diego State University's March Mayhem (March 26-28), at the Farms G.C. (Par-72; 6,318 yards). The Wildcats advance to play No. 8/10 Southern California on Tuesday in a rematch of the 2017 national semifinal at Rich Harvest Farms.
SDSU March Mayhem – LIVE RESULTS (via BirdieFire)
The Farms – VIDEO TOUR
Teams opened the competition Monday morning with 18 holes of stroke play to determine the match play seedings. The Top-8 were seeded into a championship bracket, the bottom four into a round-robin bracket. Seniors Sarah Cho and Hannah Kim, and junior Stephanie Lau, led a balanced Wildcats attack that saw all three finish the morning round in the Top-7 with even-par scores.
Northwestern finished the morning's stroke play loop tied for third on the team leaderboard, and from the tiebreak criteria were seeded fourth to face fifth-seeded, and top-ranked, UCLA in the quarterfinals. The Bruins entered the event ranked No. 1 in both the Golfweek Sagarin rankings, and the Golfstat Composite rankings.
Junior Janet Mao did not get the start she wanted on Monday, but showed enormous resolve to emerge as one of the stars of the day's action. The junior found herself 8-over after only six holes in the morning stroke play round, but battled back to score 2-over on the final 12 holes of the day.
She then completely dominated her match against Erin Choi from the first tee, taking a 1-Up advantage on their opening hole (No. 11), and never relinquishing the lead. She earned two more wins on Nos. 12 and 13, and ultimately won three of the final four holes of the match to cruise to a 6&4 win to put Northwestern on the board.
Kim found herself in a match against Mariel Galdiano, the nation's No. 16 ranked individual according to Golfweek, where neither competitor surrendered an inch over the first five holes. The 'Cats senior from Chula Vista, California, struck first with a win on No. 17, and then never looked back, winning five holes after the turn to the front-nine and securing a 4&2 victory with back-to-back wins on Nos. 8 and 9.
Cho fought through a back-and-forth match against the Bruins' Patty Tavatanakit, Golfweek's No. 6 ranked individual, and finished the day for Northwestern with a flourish. The senior from San Diego, who attended Torrey Pines High School just five miles from The Farms, was 2-Down with only three holes remaining. She won No. 8 to cut the deficit to one, captured No. 9 to square the match and clinched a win for herself and her team with a victory on No. 11. Cho's 1-Up win gave Northwestern a 3-2 victory over the nation's top-ranked team.
The Wildcats will face top-seeded Southern California in the semifinals, a renewal of the 2017 NCAA semifinal match at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Illinois. Last May, Northwestern defeated the Trojans in sudden-death on a putt by Mao on the 19th hole of the final match.
Tuesday's semifinal matches will tee off 8:30 a.m. PT. Kim will take on Jennifer Chang, beginning on No. 1. Mao will face Allisen Corpuz, also teeing off at No. 1. Riley will match up with Gabi Ruffels on No. 2, where Lau will also begin her match against Alyaa Abdulnaghy, and Cho will meet Amelia Garvey on No. 3. While head coach Emily Fletcher's lineup this week features four of the five competitors that represented Northwestern in May, USC's quintet is entirely new from last spring.
#13 NORTHWESTERN 3, #1 UCLA 2
Janet Mao def. Erin Choi, 6&4
Sarah Cho def. No. 6 Patty Tavatanakit, 1-Up
Hannah Kim def. No. 16 Mariel Galdiano, 4&2
No. 24 Bethany Wu def. Stephanie Lau, 2&1
Clare Legaspi def. Brooke Riley, 3&1
Northwestern – 3/12 • 298 (+10)
T7 – Stephanie Lau – 72 (E)
T7 – Hannah Kim – 72 (E)
T7 – Sarah Cho – 72 (E)
T55 – Janet Mao – 82 (+10)
T55 – Brooke Riley – 82 (+10)
This year's March Mayhem field includes three of the country's Top-6 teams, and a total of six currently ranked among the Golfstat Top-20. In addition to the No. 13 Wildcats, the leaderboard will feature No. 1 UCLA, No. 4 Stanford, No. 6 Texas, No. 10 USC, and No. 18 Colorado, along with the host Aztecs, Baylor, BYU, California, Iowa State and Pepperdine.
The Farms is one of the premier golf experiences in Southern California. From the club's website:
Hills and hollows characterize the fairways, doglegs are strategically placed, and back-country chaparral serves as rough on perimeter holes. Groves of native trees and water hazards come into play on a number of holes, which require both accuracy and planning. The greens are fast and extremely well-manicured. The fairways are tight. Dramatic elevation changes throughout call for brilliant strategy and athletic prowess. Players enjoy a sense of unspoiled beauty while playing this fair, but challenging course.
The landscape of native ornamental plants creates the look and feel of a botanical garden. The Farms golf course is one of the few courses in the San Diego area which is enjoyable to walk for those who are purists to the game.
"The Farms is one of the most challenging courses off the tee in Southern California. When I'm preparing for a major tournament (like the U.S. Open) and really want to test my driver, I come to The Farms." – Phil Mickelson, Farms member
SDSU March Mayhem – LIVE RESULTS (via BirdieFire)
The Farms – VIDEO TOUR
Teams opened the competition Monday morning with 18 holes of stroke play to determine the match play seedings. The Top-8 were seeded into a championship bracket, the bottom four into a round-robin bracket. Seniors Sarah Cho and Hannah Kim, and junior Stephanie Lau, led a balanced Wildcats attack that saw all three finish the morning round in the Top-7 with even-par scores.
Northwestern finished the morning's stroke play loop tied for third on the team leaderboard, and from the tiebreak criteria were seeded fourth to face fifth-seeded, and top-ranked, UCLA in the quarterfinals. The Bruins entered the event ranked No. 1 in both the Golfweek Sagarin rankings, and the Golfstat Composite rankings.
Junior Janet Mao did not get the start she wanted on Monday, but showed enormous resolve to emerge as one of the stars of the day's action. The junior found herself 8-over after only six holes in the morning stroke play round, but battled back to score 2-over on the final 12 holes of the day.
She then completely dominated her match against Erin Choi from the first tee, taking a 1-Up advantage on their opening hole (No. 11), and never relinquishing the lead. She earned two more wins on Nos. 12 and 13, and ultimately won three of the final four holes of the match to cruise to a 6&4 win to put Northwestern on the board.
Kim found herself in a match against Mariel Galdiano, the nation's No. 16 ranked individual according to Golfweek, where neither competitor surrendered an inch over the first five holes. The 'Cats senior from Chula Vista, California, struck first with a win on No. 17, and then never looked back, winning five holes after the turn to the front-nine and securing a 4&2 victory with back-to-back wins on Nos. 8 and 9.
Cho fought through a back-and-forth match against the Bruins' Patty Tavatanakit, Golfweek's No. 6 ranked individual, and finished the day for Northwestern with a flourish. The senior from San Diego, who attended Torrey Pines High School just five miles from The Farms, was 2-Down with only three holes remaining. She won No. 8 to cut the deficit to one, captured No. 9 to square the match and clinched a win for herself and her team with a victory on No. 11. Cho's 1-Up win gave Northwestern a 3-2 victory over the nation's top-ranked team.
The Wildcats will face top-seeded Southern California in the semifinals, a renewal of the 2017 NCAA semifinal match at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Illinois. Last May, Northwestern defeated the Trojans in sudden-death on a putt by Mao on the 19th hole of the final match.
Tuesday's semifinal matches will tee off 8:30 a.m. PT. Kim will take on Jennifer Chang, beginning on No. 1. Mao will face Allisen Corpuz, also teeing off at No. 1. Riley will match up with Gabi Ruffels on No. 2, where Lau will also begin her match against Alyaa Abdulnaghy, and Cho will meet Amelia Garvey on No. 3. While head coach Emily Fletcher's lineup this week features four of the five competitors that represented Northwestern in May, USC's quintet is entirely new from last spring.
.@NUGolf_Live started #GolfMayhem with a ?? today, knocking off No. 1 UCLA, 3-2, and advancing in the bracket at San Diego!
— #B1GCats (@NU_Sports) March 27, 2018
?? » https://t.co/mwMLVP4jdp #B1GCats pic.twitter.com/krpi7TKoOK
#13 NORTHWESTERN 3, #1 UCLA 2
Janet Mao def. Erin Choi, 6&4
Sarah Cho def. No. 6 Patty Tavatanakit, 1-Up
Hannah Kim def. No. 16 Mariel Galdiano, 4&2
No. 24 Bethany Wu def. Stephanie Lau, 2&1
Clare Legaspi def. Brooke Riley, 3&1
Northwestern – 3/12 • 298 (+10)
T7 – Stephanie Lau – 72 (E)
T7 – Hannah Kim – 72 (E)
T7 – Sarah Cho – 72 (E)
T55 – Janet Mao – 82 (+10)
T55 – Brooke Riley – 82 (+10)
This year's March Mayhem field includes three of the country's Top-6 teams, and a total of six currently ranked among the Golfstat Top-20. In addition to the No. 13 Wildcats, the leaderboard will feature No. 1 UCLA, No. 4 Stanford, No. 6 Texas, No. 10 USC, and No. 18 Colorado, along with the host Aztecs, Baylor, BYU, California, Iowa State and Pepperdine.
The Farms is one of the premier golf experiences in Southern California. From the club's website:
Hills and hollows characterize the fairways, doglegs are strategically placed, and back-country chaparral serves as rough on perimeter holes. Groves of native trees and water hazards come into play on a number of holes, which require both accuracy and planning. The greens are fast and extremely well-manicured. The fairways are tight. Dramatic elevation changes throughout call for brilliant strategy and athletic prowess. Players enjoy a sense of unspoiled beauty while playing this fair, but challenging course.
The landscape of native ornamental plants creates the look and feel of a botanical garden. The Farms golf course is one of the few courses in the San Diego area which is enjoyable to walk for those who are purists to the game.
"The Farms is one of the most challenging courses off the tee in Southern California. When I'm preparing for a major tournament (like the U.S. Open) and really want to test my driver, I come to The Farms." – Phil Mickelson, Farms member
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