NCAA women's regionals: LSU survives; Augusta advances as 11 seed
The 2023 NCAA Division I women's golf regionals are in the books.
All six No. 1 seeds – Stanford, Wake Forest, LSU, South Carolina, Texas A&M and Mississippi State – advanced, though the Tigers needed a spirited rally on the final nine in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, to do so. On the other hand, three top-11 teams – No. 7 Auburn, No. 8 Oregon and No. 11 Arizona State – saw their seasons end.
And No. 11 Augusta was the worst seed to make it through.
Here are recaps of each of the six regionals:
Palm Beach Gardens Regional
PGA National Resort (Champion), Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
Advancing teams: 1. Michigan State (+8), 2. Duke (+11), 3. Northwestern (+14), 3. Texas (+14), 5. LSU (+15)
Just missed: 6. Arkansas (+16), 7. UCF (+27)
Individual winners: Latanna Stone, LSU, and Brooke Biermann, Michigan State (-3)
Advancing individual: Sarah Byrne, Miami (-2)
Big story: All season LSU head coach Garrett Runion has been preaching about "the final five."
"Whatever you're at in the round, you want to play the final five at your current score or better," Runion explained. "Now, at some tournaments that's harder to do than others."
It doesn't get any tougher than regionals, and on Wednesday at PGA National, the Tigers got the final fives that they needed from their three seniors. Heck, they got three clutch final nines.
Ingrid Lindblad, Latanna Stone and Carla Tejedo combined for a bogey-free 6 under on their second nines, the Champion Course's front side, to help top-seeded LSU rally for a fifth-place finish, one shot ahead of Arkansas, and avoid becoming just the second No. 1 seed ever to fail to reach the NCAA Championship.
It was a weird finish as Tejedo was credited with two bogeys that should've been pars on Golfstat's live scoring. Runion mentioned the errors to a volunteer, but they were never changed, and thus for much of the final stretch, it appeared as if Arkansas had the slight advantage. The scored were updated once Tejedo signed for a 3-under 69, and that meant that LSU had a one-shot lead with two groups still to play the par-4 ninth.
Lindblad and Arkansas' Julia Gregg traded pars before Kajal Mistry stuffed an approach to 12 feet for a chance to force a playoff. Stone, 35 feet away for birdie, lagged close to set up a tap-in par. That set the stage for Mistry, who lipped out her birdie roll.
"She hit it, and it was in," Runion said. "She started walking and it just 90-degreed on her. Our girls were shocked. They thought it was in. It looked so good the whole time and hit a ton of hole."
Yet, it didn't drop, and LSU dodged a massive bullet. The Tigers, however, chose not to look at it that way.
"They're excited and pumped," Runion said. "Look, we played well, but we also had a little bit of help. There's a lot of ways to do it. They did help us a little bit, but at the same time we made birdies, which put pressure on them. I'm most proud that when it mattered the most, they executed the shots."
Chip shots: Michigan State won its first NCAA regional title in program history to advance to its 12th NCAA Championship in 26 seasons under head coach Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll. ... Speaking of NCAA Championship appearances, Duke, led by head coach Dan Brooks, has now qualified for 23 of the past 26. The Blue Devils avoided missing back-to-back nationals for the first time since 1989-90. ... After a shocking seventh at Big 12s, Texas bounced back to advance through regionals for the seventh straight seasons. ... Northwestern withstood a 6-over final nine to qualify for its first NCAA Championship since 2019. ... South Florida fired a closing 16 over, the worst score of the day, to fall from fourth to eighth.
Athens Regional
University of Georgia GC, Athens, Georgia
Advancing teams: 1. Georgia (-13), 2. South Carolina (-11), 3. San Jose State (+14), 4. Ole Miss (+17), 5. Augusta (+21)
Just missed: 6. Ohio State (+23), 7. Maryland (+24), 8. Kansas (+26)
Individual winner: Jenny Bae, Georgia (-13)
Advancing individual: Leon Takagi, Kent State (-3)
Big story: Augusta didn't just have a disappointing fall season. The Jaguars beat just one team, finishing last in three events and second to last in a fourth tournament.
"This team has been through so much starting with our really rough fall," Augusta head coach Caroline Haase-Hegg said. "I think we were ranked in the 150s coming into the spring semester. We came overcame a lot of adversity and built our belief and our confidence from literally the ground up. We had none. Throughout this spring, we have gotten more and more comfortable in stressful situations to a point where they have been through so much and experienced the highs and lows. They are pretty unflappable."
Augusta punched its ticket to an NCAA regional after winning the Southland Conference title and earned the No. 11 seed in Athens. And it didn't stop there.
The Jaguars began Wednesday's final round tied with Ole Miss and Ohio State for fifth, but they fell to the other side of the cut line after a 9-over front nine. That's when freshman Mirabel Ting, the seventh-ranked individual in the country per Golfstat, led a final-nine rally. Ting holed out for eagle at the par-4 10th hole before playing her last nine holes in 6 under. Her 5-under 67 paced Augusta, which ended up two shots ahead of sixth-place Ohio State to earn its first trip to the NCAA Championship in program history.
The moment was especially impactful for Ting.
"It took a lot of determination and team support," Ting said. "Last semester, I lost my dad, so to be playing in nationals, I know he is proud. I am very proud for my team on making it to nationals."
Chip shots: Georgia led wire to wire in sweeping NCAA regional team and individual titles for the third time since 2016, including twice now with Jenny Bae medaling. ... South Carolina still hasn't won this season, but top-3 finishes by Hannah Darling and Louise Rydqvist ensured that the Gamecocks easily advanced to a third straight NCAA Championship. ... Grad student Antonia Malate never shot over par in any of the three rounds en route to a solo ninth finish individually, and San Jose State is headed to nationals for the 23rd time in program history. ... Senior Ellen Hume was subbed in for the final round, and she birdied two of her last three holes to help Ole Miss post 2 under on its final nine and finish six shots clear of sixth place. ... Maryland played its final two holes in 4 under, but it wasn't enough as the Terps shot 11 over to drop from fourth to seventh.
Raleigh Regional
Lonnie Poole GC, Raleigh, North Carolina
Advancing teams: 1. Arizona (-5), 2. North Carolina State (-3), 3. Wake Forest (E), 4. TCU (+2), 5. Florida State (+6)
Just missed: 6. Purdue (+9), 7. Arizona State (+10), 8. Florida (+14)
Individual winner: Dorota Zalewska, Chattanooga (-12)
Advancing individual: Zalewska
Big story: North Carolina State was looking at the first NCAA regional title until the Rules of Golf stripped it from the Wolfpack’s grasp late Wednesday.
Junior Isabel Amezcua was disqualified after signing for an incorrect score, and that forced the eighth-seeded hosts to count Caitlin Whitehead’s 78. Coincidentally, it was Whitehead’s former school, Arizona, that benefitted from Amezcua’s mistake.
With the DQ dropping N.C. State to 3 under, that left the Wolfpack in second place and two shots behind the Wildcats, who grabbed their sixth NCAA regional title in program history – first since head coach Laura Ianello’s first year in 2010 – in shocking fashion.
Still, both teams advanced to the NCAA Championship – Arizona for the ninth time in 12 seasons under Ianello, and N.C. State for the fourth time in school history and first since 2015.
“I am insanely proud of these young women,” said Ianello, whose team failed to qualify for nationals last year, finishing sixth in New Mexico and snapping a three-year streak that included the program’s third NCAA title. “They have fought so hard this entire year, especially today. They came out very confident from the first putt to the last putt on the last hole.”
Freshman Julia Misemer, who tied for second individually after shooting 4-under 68 on Wednesday, corroborated that sentiment: “I’m going to be honest, I was pretty confident in us [advancing]. But it feels great to actually make it happen.”
Chip shots: Wake Forest dug an early hole, but it ended this regional like the second-ranked team in the country, playing the final four holes in 7 under to shoot 1 under and go from T-7 after Round 1 to third – and nine shots clear of sixth – after 54 holes. ... TCU had three players shoot par or better in the final round – and none of them were Caitlyn Macnab – as the Horned Frogs posted 2 under and jumped from seventh to fourth to punch a second straight ticket to nationals. ... Florida State carded five double bogeys on Wednesday, yet the Seminoles still shot 3 over, climbed a spot on the leaderboard and finished fifth by three shots. ... No team dropped more positions on the leaderboard in any of the six regionals than Arizona State, which went from second after 36 holes to seventh thanks to a 14-over day. The Sun Devils had advanced through five straight regionals.
Westfield Regional
The Club at Chatham Hills, Westfield, Indiana
Advancing teams: 1. Mississippi State (-19), 2. Oregon State (-17), 3. Vanderbilt (-16), 4. Virginia (-15), 5. Tulsa (-9)
Just missed: 6. Iowa State (-4), 7. Tennessee (-1), 7. Xavier (-1), 9. Michigan (+9)
Individual winners: Amanda Sambach, Virginia, and Julia Lopez Ramirez, Mississippi State (-13)
Advancing individual: Isabella McCauley, Minnesota (-7)
Big story: Tulsa has a rich women's golf history that includes four NCAA titles in the 1980s, all won under legendary coach Dale McNamara, who died last October at age 86. But the Golden Hurricane had not advanced to the NCAA Championship since 2008.
That is, until Wednesday.
Freshman Grace Kilcrease birdied eight of her first 13 holes at Chatham Hills, finished with a 6-under 66 that left her solo fifth individually and more importantly, helped sixth-seeded Tulsa shoot 4 under as a team and hold onto a fifth-place finish, five shots clear of Iowa State.
"This is a program changer," Tulsa head coach Annie Young said. "Five years ago when I arrived here, we were ranked 147th in the country (Tulsa entered regionals ranked 36th), so the culture change has made the difference, and it's been everyone involved in the program that has helped. These girls work hard, are fun to be around and they put their all into it each and every day. It's really cool to see good people – these girls are good people and good golfers as well – be successful. I haven't had a team that puts in this much effort and time and desire and has this much love for one another.
"It's incredible that we got it done. They're a young, young group (two freshmen, two sophomore in starting lineup), but they didn't let that get in the way this week."
Chip shots: Julia Lopez Ramirez notched her third win and eighth top-5 finish of the season to power Mississippi State to its first NCAA regional title. ... Oregon State will play just its second NCAA Championship ever – and first since 1998 – after making five eagles as a team on the week, including three in the final round. ... Vanderbilt got a 7-under 65 from freshman Tillie Claggett and comfortably advanced to a consecutive NCAA Championship for the first time since 2014. ... Virginia shot the round of the day, 10 under, behind three 68s. The Cavaliers threw out an 80. ... Oregon finished 10th, 18 shots back of fifth, to become the fifth reigning NCAA finalist in the match-play era to not make it back to nationals.
San Antonio Regional
TPC San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
Advancing teams: 1. Pepperdine (+9), 1. SMU (+9), 3. Texas A&M (+16), 3. Oklahoma State (+16), 5. New Mexico (+25)
Just missed: 6. Auburn (+29), 7. Denver (+33), 8. UCLA (+36)
Individual winner: Camryn Carreon, UTSA (-10)
Advancing individual: Carreon
Big story: You could say New Mexico flipped the script.
Entering Wednesday's final round at TPC San Antonio, Auburn sat fifth, five shots clear of Denver in sixth and six ahead of the Lobos in seventh. On several occasions in recent years, it had been the Tigers turning in clutch final rounds in the postseason, most of them after starting the day outside of whatever cut line they were looking to finish on the other side of. But on this day it was New Mexico rallying – and Auburn falling short.
Senior Jenny Lertsadwattana shot 1-under 71 and the Lobos' four counters shot even par on their final nine as New Mexico shot 1 over to finish at 25 over, climbing two spots on the leaderboard and clipping the Tigers by four shots. Auburn, which finished sixth to miss out on nationals for the first time since 2017, shot 11 over with just eight final-round birdies from its counters.
The Lobos are now headed to the NCAA Championship for the 16th time in school history and the first time since 2010.
“We have played so well this spring, coming down the stretch, that I knew that we could do this,” Lobos head coach Jill Trujillo said. “Coming into today, I knew we were capable of shooting a low round, but you can’t control what other teams are going to do. We just focused on all the good things we have been doing all spring and posted a good number. The swing started happening early on and these girls played so tough. It has been way too long since we made it to the finals. Women’s golf keeps getting better and better, so it has become more difficult to make it. I knew this team could do it and we aren’t done yet. We checked the box for winning the Mountain West. We checked the box for getting to regionals, and now we checked the box for making it to Scottsdale.
"Now, we want to check the box of making it to match play."
Chip shots: After failing to advance through regionals in eight of its past nine tries, Pepperdine placed all five players in the top 25 while posting the best final round by six shots, a 6 under. ... SMU is heading to the NCAA Championship for the first time since 1992. The Mustangs, in their first regional since 2017, were once again led by their dynamic freshmen duo of Michelle Zhang and Mackenzie Lee, who were T-6 and T-3, respectively, as they've combined for 14 top-10s this season. ... Texas A&M's five players shot 21 over with just one birdie on the front nine Wednesday. Luckily, the Aggies had already built a nice cushion, and the five were 27 shots better on the back nine, as Texas A&M heads back to Grayhawk for a second straight year. ... Rina Tatematsu, who placed outside the top 40 four times this season, notched her best finish anywhere since her runner-up at the 2021 Schooner Fall Classic by finishing solo fifth to lead Oklahoma State, which is now 3 for 3 in getting to the NCAA Championship under head coach Greg Robertson. ... UCLA's eighth-place finish ends the career of head coach Carrie Forsyth, who won two national titles in 24 years with the Bears.
Pullman Regional
Palouse Ridge, Pullman, Washington
Advancing teams: 1. Stanford (-50), 2. Clemson (-33), 3. USC (-26), 4. Baylor (-23), 5. Texas Tech (-19)
Just missed: 6. Kentucky (-16), 7. Sacramento State (-9), 8. Houston (-7)
Individual winner: Rose Zhang, Stanford (-19)
Advancing individual: Tiffany Le, UC-Riverside (-14)
Big story: Down two starters due to season-ending injuries, Stanford showed that its still the overwhelming favorite to defend its NCAA title.
Minus Rachel Heck and Brooke Seay, who haven't competed all spring, the top-ranked Cardinal lapped the field at Palouse Ridge by 17 shots in shooting 50 under, breaking the NCAA postseason record and tying the program record for 54-hole team score in relation to par.
"We never take this week for granted, but to be able to advance to nationals in the fashion that we did is something quite spectacular," Stanford head coach Anne Walker said.
Sophomore Rose Zhang also won, her seventh individual title this season and 11th for her career. She birdied five of her last six holes to close in 7-under 65 and finish at 19 under, four shots ahead of runner-up, teammate Sadie Englemann, who posted her best score in college and was the only player in this week's field to not post a bogey.
Just four golfers, men or women, have won 11 tournaments at Stanford – Tiger Woods, Patrick Rodgers and Maverick McNealy also each captured 11 individual titles in their Cardinal careers. None of them did it in as few starts as Zhang has (19).
"There are no words left to describe what Rose Zhang has accomplished in college golf and specifically here at Stanford," Walker said. "It's mesmerizing to watch and learn from her. She has elevated our entire team and you can see that this week with the huge performances from her teammates."
Chip shots: After the round of the day of 18 under, Clemson is headed back to the NCAA Championship for the first time since making its nationals debut in 2017. ... USC has now made 25 straight trips to nationals and has now seen senior Malia Nam post three straight top-15s after leading the Trojans with a solo 11th this week. ... Baylor is on to a third straight NCAA Championship, the first time in school history the Bears have done that. ... Texas Tech's 2-under final round was better than just a third of the field, yet the Red Raiders held on to the fifth spot after starting the day in second. This will be the team's first trip to nationals since 2017. ... Led by Laney Frye's 63, Kentucky fired 17 under to go from 10th after 36 holes to sixth and just three shots shy of getting into a playoff.
