Northwestern University Athletics
Photo by: Tim Cowie - Tim Cowie Photography
Wildcats Go Low To Surge Past First NCAA Championships Cut
5/20/2018 8:33:00 PM | Women's Golf
STILLWATER, Okla. – There was no drama for Northwestern on cut day at the 2018 NCAA Women's Golf Championships, hosted at Karsten Creek Golf Club (Par-72; 6,328 yards). The Wildcats fired their best round of the tournament to secure a spot in the Top-4 after 54 holes, 21 shots clear of the cut line, and sail into Monday's final round of stroke play
2018 NCAA Championships – LIVE Leaderboard (via Golfstat)
Tournament Central
Karsten Creek Golf Club
The first rain of the competition challenged the teams with early morning tee times, the upper-half of the 36-hole leaderboard. Overnight thunderstorms swept across Oklahoma, and precipitation continued throughout the first stretch of play. Temperatures that were in the mid-80's on Friday and Saturday turned into low-60's on Sunday. The dense, overseeded Karsten Creek rough presented an entirely new challenge when wet.
Teeing off from No.10 with the two-day birdie lead (32), the Wildcats attacked the back-nine with four birdies from Brooke Riley, and three each for Hannah Kim, Janet Mao and Stephanie Lau. On Nos.16-18, Northwestern's quintet piled up seven birdies and eight pars, including a Lau birdie on No.17, the course's most challenging hole.
For the third straight day, the Wildcats had a different student-athlete fire the low round. Kim, the two-time Big Ten Player of the Year, posted three birdies and 13 pars on the way to a 1-under 71 to claw her way into the Top-20. Fellow senior Cho played her final nine holes at 2-under to card an even-par 72
Northwestern improved its team score for the second consecutive day, firing a 2-over 290, the fourth-best scorecard of the 72 total rounds played at Karsten Creek so far.
Downstream from the Wildcats the battle around the cut line was fierce, with only five strokes separating ninth from 21st at one point. When play wrapped up for the day, only two shots separated 15th from 20th, including a four-way tie at +39 for the coveted 15th and final spot in Monday's fourth round that eventually went to Louisville by tiebreak.
Northwestern will spend Round 4 alongside Duke and Southern California. Following Monday's round, the 2018 NCAA individual champion will be crowned, with the top eight teams advancing to match play. The quarterfinals and semifinals will be played on Tuesday, May 22, with the championship match on Wednesday, May 23.
The Golf Channel will broadcast live from the NCAA Women's Golf Championships Monday, May 21, from 3-7 p.m. (CT) with pre- and post-round tournament coverage as well.
Northwestern – 4/24 • 299-293-290-R4 = 882 (+18)
T17 – Hannah Kim -- 75-73-71-R4 = 219 (+3)
T24 – Janet Mao – 68-78-74-R4 = 220 (+4)
T41 – Sarah Cho -- 78-74-72-R4 = 224 (+8)
T68 – Stephanie Lau – 78-74-80-R4 = 232 (+16)
T68 – Brooke Riley -- 87-72-73-R4 = 232 (+16)
Karsten Creek has previously hosted the NCAA Men's Golf Championship in 2003 and 2011. 2018 will mark the first time that Karsten Creek has played host to the NCAA Women's Golf Championship.
Former Oklahoma State golf coach and current athletic direction Mike Holder partnered with renowned golf course designer Tom Fazio to construct one of the most challenging golf courses in the country. When it opened in 1994, Karsten Creek was named "Best New Course" in the country by Golf Digest. The zoysia fairways were cut from a forest of oaks and black jacks, complemented by an undulating terrain that flows throughout the course. The back-nine cascades around the 110-acre Lake Louise that is featured on the finishing holes. The over-seeded rough, greens that make the ball roll as if on glass and intense Oklahoma winds sweeping down the fairways make the course perplexing even for some of the world's top amateur golfers.
2018 NCAA Women's Golf Championships Schedule
Thursday: Practice Round (Shotgun start at 9:30 a.m.)
Friday: Opening Round (Stroke play, start at 7:30 a.m.)
Saturday: Second Round (Stroke play, start at 7:30 a.m.)
Sunday: Third Round (Stroke play, start at 7:30 a.m.)
(Top 15 team & 9 individuals advance)
Monday: Final Round (Stroke play, start at 11:30 a.m.)
(Individual National Champion & 8 advancing teams determined)
Tuesday: Match-Play Quarterfinals (7 a.m.) & Semifinals (1:30 p.m.)
Wednesday: Match-Play Championship (2:25 p.m.)
2018 NCAA Championships – LIVE Leaderboard (via Golfstat)
Tournament Central
Karsten Creek Golf Club
The first rain of the competition challenged the teams with early morning tee times, the upper-half of the 36-hole leaderboard. Overnight thunderstorms swept across Oklahoma, and precipitation continued throughout the first stretch of play. Temperatures that were in the mid-80's on Friday and Saturday turned into low-60's on Sunday. The dense, overseeded Karsten Creek rough presented an entirely new challenge when wet.
Teeing off from No.10 with the two-day birdie lead (32), the Wildcats attacked the back-nine with four birdies from Brooke Riley, and three each for Hannah Kim, Janet Mao and Stephanie Lau. On Nos.16-18, Northwestern's quintet piled up seven birdies and eight pars, including a Lau birdie on No.17, the course's most challenging hole.
For the third straight day, the Wildcats had a different student-athlete fire the low round. Kim, the two-time Big Ten Player of the Year, posted three birdies and 13 pars on the way to a 1-under 71 to claw her way into the Top-20. Fellow senior Cho played her final nine holes at 2-under to card an even-par 72
Northwestern improved its team score for the second consecutive day, firing a 2-over 290, the fourth-best scorecard of the 72 total rounds played at Karsten Creek so far.
'Cats at @KarstenCreek:
— Northwestern Golf (@NUGolf_Live) May 20, 2018
Round 1 - 299
Round 2 - 293
Round 3 - 290
Would that be ?? or ???
Whatever it is, it's ??????.
LIVE Leaderboard
??https://t.co/Z1cJOfmcby#B1GCats | #NCAAGolf pic.twitter.com/ySYjlyx4iy
Downstream from the Wildcats the battle around the cut line was fierce, with only five strokes separating ninth from 21st at one point. When play wrapped up for the day, only two shots separated 15th from 20th, including a four-way tie at +39 for the coveted 15th and final spot in Monday's fourth round that eventually went to Louisville by tiebreak.
??Pairings! Getcha Round 4 pairings here!
— Northwestern Golf (@NUGolf_Live) May 21, 2018
Leaderboard:
??https://t.co/Z1cJOfmcby#B1GCats | #NCAAGolf pic.twitter.com/yadjCex0Pf
Northwestern will spend Round 4 alongside Duke and Southern California. Following Monday's round, the 2018 NCAA individual champion will be crowned, with the top eight teams advancing to match play. The quarterfinals and semifinals will be played on Tuesday, May 22, with the championship match on Wednesday, May 23.
The Golf Channel will broadcast live from the NCAA Women's Golf Championships Monday, May 21, from 3-7 p.m. (CT) with pre- and post-round tournament coverage as well.
Northwestern – 4/24 • 299-293-290-R4 = 882 (+18)
T17 – Hannah Kim -- 75-73-71-R4 = 219 (+3)
T24 – Janet Mao – 68-78-74-R4 = 220 (+4)
T41 – Sarah Cho -- 78-74-72-R4 = 224 (+8)
T68 – Stephanie Lau – 78-74-80-R4 = 232 (+16)
T68 – Brooke Riley -- 87-72-73-R4 = 232 (+16)
Karsten Creek has previously hosted the NCAA Men's Golf Championship in 2003 and 2011. 2018 will mark the first time that Karsten Creek has played host to the NCAA Women's Golf Championship.
Former Oklahoma State golf coach and current athletic direction Mike Holder partnered with renowned golf course designer Tom Fazio to construct one of the most challenging golf courses in the country. When it opened in 1994, Karsten Creek was named "Best New Course" in the country by Golf Digest. The zoysia fairways were cut from a forest of oaks and black jacks, complemented by an undulating terrain that flows throughout the course. The back-nine cascades around the 110-acre Lake Louise that is featured on the finishing holes. The over-seeded rough, greens that make the ball roll as if on glass and intense Oklahoma winds sweeping down the fairways make the course perplexing even for some of the world's top amateur golfers.
2018 NCAA Women's Golf Championships Schedule
Thursday: Practice Round (Shotgun start at 9:30 a.m.)
Friday: Opening Round (Stroke play, start at 7:30 a.m.)
Saturday: Second Round (Stroke play, start at 7:30 a.m.)
Sunday: Third Round (Stroke play, start at 7:30 a.m.)
(Top 15 team & 9 individuals advance)
Monday: Final Round (Stroke play, start at 11:30 a.m.)
(Individual National Champion & 8 advancing teams determined)
Tuesday: Match-Play Quarterfinals (7 a.m.) & Semifinals (1:30 p.m.)
Wednesday: Match-Play Championship (2:25 p.m.)
••••••
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