NCAA Women's Golf Championships 2015: Daily Results, Leaderboard Updates, More
The 2015 NCAA Women's Golf Championships are officially underway from Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida. Leading the field are a slew of Pac-12 powers, including Washington, UCLA and Stanford.
Duke is the defending national champion and coming off another fantastic season with a 71.55 team rating, per NCAA.com, which was sixth in the nation. Leona Maguire leads the Blue Devils charge, as she's currently ranked first in the World Amateur Golf Ranking and was named ACC Freshman and Player of the Year.
Here's a recap of all the daily action from Concession Golf Club as well as full team results for the NCAA Women's Golf Championships.
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Wednesday Recap: Stanford Wins the National Title
Stanford’s Mariah Stackhouse knew it was going to happen.
Stackhouse served as the Cardinal's anchor in Wednesday’s national championship showdown with Baylor and rallied from a late two-hole deficit to beat the Bears' Hayley Davis in 19 holes. The victory clinched the title for Stanford, which is exactly how Stackhouse envisioned it, per Will Gray of GolfChannel.com: "When I was sleeping last night, I could not sleep at all because I knew it would all come down to me.”
Stackhouse trailed by two holes entering the 17th but found a way to rally with two consecutive birdies. The birdie on No. 18 came off a clutch 15-foot putt and put the match into extra holes where she ultimately prevailed.
Davis missed an opportunity to put the showdown into a 20th hole when she pushed a short three-foot putt to the right in heartbreaking fashion.
Stanford women’s golf shared the celebration and a scorecard for the entire 3-2 victory:
The national championship is the first in Stanford's history.
The day started when Shannon Aubert notched a win for Stanford. Baylor then pulled even with a victory from Giovana Maymon before the Cardinal took a 2-1 lead behind Casey Danielson. Dylan Kim tied it for the Bears and set up the thrilling final match between Stackhouse and Davis.
Despite the loss, Davis was gracious in defeat and hinted at what is to come for the Baylor program:
Stanford congratulated the Bears after a thrilling showdown:
Tuesday Recap: Quarterfinals and Semifinals
The top eight schools from the four-day team-stroke portion of the tournament advanced to the match-play portion of the tournament that started Tuesday. In fact, the quarterfinals and semifinals took place Tuesday, and fans were treated to thrilling golf and heart-pounding moments with a spot in the national championship on the line.
Here is a look at the results:
| Matchup | Up | Down | A/S | Result |
| Duke (2) | 4 | 1 | 0 | Duke wins |
| Texas Tech (7) | 1 | 4 | 0 | |
| Matchup | Up | Down | A/S | Result |
| Baylor (3) | 3 | 1 | 1 | Baylor wins |
| Tennessee (6) | 1 | 3 | 1 | |
| Matchup | Up | Down | A/S | Result |
| USC (1) | 3 | 2 | 0 | USC wins |
| Washington (8) | 2 | 3 | 0 | |
| Matchup | Up | Down | A/S | Result |
| Stanford (4) | 4 | 1 | 0 | Stanford wins |
| Arizona (5) | 1 | 4 | 0 | |
| Matchup | Up | Down | A/S | Result |
| Duke (2) | 2 | 3 | 0 | |
| Baylor (3) | 3 | 2 | 0 | Baylor wins |
| Matchup | Up | Down | A/S | Result |
| USC (1) | 2 | 3 | 0 | |
| Stanford (4) | 3 | 2 | 0 | Stanford wins |
The most notable quarterfinals match came between USC and Washington. The Trojans were the No. 1 seed after a dominant performance in the stroke-play portion of the tournament, but their Pac-12 rivals battled throughout the contest.
USC's Gabriella Then eventually prevailed on No. 17 to clinch the victory after Washington's Jennifer Yang struggled down the stretch. Despite the late collapse, Yang consistently rallied when she fell behind early and put a serious scare in the No. 1 seed in match play.
Washington coach Mary Lou Mulflur discussed Yang's performance, per Ryan Lavner of GolfChannel.com: “Sometimes it just doesn’t work. But there’s nobody I’d rather have in that situation. She’s money. She’s nails.”
Elsewhere, the defending national champion Duke Blue Devils advanced over Texas Tech, Baylor beat Tennessee and Stanford outlasted Arizona to set the stage for semifinals showdowns between Duke and Baylor and USC and Stanford.
USC and Stanford battled it out in a tight Pac-12 clash, but the Cardinal ultimately prevailed thanks to strong efforts from Shannon Aubert (4 and 2), Casey Danielson (2 and 1) and Lauren Kim (4 and 3). The Trojans' dominance from stroke play failed to make an appearance in the semifinals, and the top seed fell.
USC still offered its encouragement for its fellow Pac-12 school:
The most thrilling match of the entire day was the one between Duke and Baylor. The two programs exchanged momentum throughout the late afternoon, and the spot in the national championship came down to the sixth playoff hole in the match between Duke's Lisa Maguire and Baylor's Lauren Whyte.
The two team's respective Twitter accounts described the action, while the Bears shared a highlight of the winning moment:
It was an incredible win for the Bears but an equally devastating loss for the Blue Devils. Professional golfers Karen Stupples and Brittany Lincicome offered their condolences to Maguire and the rest of the Duke squad:
It sets the stage for a thrilling championship showdown between Baylor and Stanford.
Both have momentum after Tuesday's performances, with the Bears outlasting the defending national champions in stunning fashion and the Cardinal taking out the No. 1 seed that controlled stroke play. Here is a look at the pairings, per the Golf Channel:
It will be particularly interesting to watch Whyte given the emotionally draining victory Tuesday. While she is likely tired, a quick start would likely also provide plenty of confidence after her recent win. That could be enough to carry the Bears to the national championship.
Here is a glance at what the leaderboard looked like after the first four days of team stroke play for reference:
| 1 | USC | +9 | +15 | +4 | +6 | +40 | 1192 |
| 2 | Duke | +5 | +21 | +5 | +15 | +45 | 1197 |
| 3 | Baylor | +9 | +19 | +18 | E | +46 | 1198 |
| 4 | Stanford | +5 | +35 | +8 | -1 | +47 | 1199 |
| 5 | Arizona | +12 | +23 | +6 | +12 | +53 | 1205 |
| T6 | Tennessee | +13 | +21 | +9 | +14 | +60 | 1212 |
| T6 | Texas Tech | +31 | +6 | +19 | +4 | +60 | 1212 |
| 8 | Washington | +13 | +28 | +9 | +12 | +62 | 1214 |
| Top | 8 | Advance | To | Match Play | Quarterfinals | ||
| 9 | Arkansas | +22 | +18 | +15 | +10 | +65 | 1217 |
| 10 | Northwestern | +22 | +13 | +17 | +14 | +66 | 1218 |
| 11 | UC Davis | +17 | +16 | +18 | +17 | +68 | 1220 |
| 12 | Purdue | +19 | +14 | +14 | +23 | +70 | 1222 |
| 13 | Wake Forest | +22 | +32 | +6 | +9 | +72 | 1224 |
| 14 | Alabama | +22 | +19 | +22 | +11 | +74 | 1226 |
| 15 | UCLA | +33 | +30 | +3 | +15 | +81 | 1233 |
Day 4 Recap
Monday marked the end of the team stroke-play action and crowned an NCAA individual champion as a result.
On the strength of a final-round score of three-under 69, Alabama star Emma Talley won with an aggregate 72-hole score of 285, good for a one-stroke victory over Arkansas' Gaby Lopez and Duke freshman phenom Leona Maguire.
Lopez was sensational in her rapid ascent up the leaderboard, firing a six-under 66. Beginning on the back nine, she went out in 33 and made an eagle at the par-five third hole and finished in style with a birdie at No. 9.
It just wasn't quite enough to top Talley, who was too tough. After parring all nine holes on her opening nine, Talley rattled off three birdies at Nos. 1, 3 and 9 without a dropped shot to take home the title.
PGA Tour player and former Alabama star Justin Thomas congratulated Talley afterward:
Beth Ann Nichols of Golfweek highlighted the significance of Talley's extraordinary achievement:
As for the team play, Duke had a bit of a down day and barely held on to the second seed ahead of Baylor and Stanford, who combined to go one under par on Monday to shoot into the match-play quarterfinals.
The Cardinal saw their two best performers in Lauren Kim (70) and Mariah Stackhouse (69) play exceptional golf when it mattered most. What boosted Stanford was the form of No. 5 player Quirine Eijkenboom. After averaging 82.6 strokes over her first three rounds, she posted a clutch one-over 73.
USC will be the team to beat, though, and its official golf Twitter page highlighted its incredible consistency on the big stage:
Duke ought to be feared as the reigning national champion, but its first match-play showdown won't be an easy one. Texas Tech shot up six places on the team leaderboard with a 292 (plus-4) Monday total. Another No. 5 in Lauren Mason stepped up for the Red Raiders with a 71, making up for the disappointing 77 from usual low-scorer Kimmy Hill.
Golf varies so much by the day, but the Blue Devils have to be concerned with their finish. They're trending in the opposite direction as Texas Tech, a team that has found a way to hang tough in the NCAA championship finale.
Pac-12 pride will be on the line when Washington squares off with top seed USC, but the Trojans have played wonderful golf all four rounds. It's hard to envision an upset at the top.
The match play will allow players to be more aggressive because the consequence of a big number is just one hole lost rather than a costly tumble down a stroke-play leaderboard. The stakes are higher too, so it will be fascinating to see how the change in format impacts these remaining teams under pressure.
Day 3 Recap
Given all of the weather issues so far at the women's championships, the chances were slim to none that all 24 teams would complete the third round before darkness crept into the Concession Golf Club. When the horn blew to signal the end of Sunday's play, six schools headed into the clubhouse with unfinished business.
With one more day of the event remaining, it's looking more and more like a two-horse race. USC leads the field at 28 under, while Duke is three shots back at 31 under. In third place sits Arizona, but the Wildcats are a full 10 shots behind the Blue Devils.
Should the leaderboard stay where it is, USC would finish with the lowest third-round score of any school. The Trojans will likely control their own destiny in the final round.
One of the Trojans' top golfers, Annie Park, rebounded well after her second-round 76. Through 13 holes, she's sitting at even par for the third round and two over for the tournament, which is good enough for third.
Park had a bit of a rough start to her round, bogeying Nos. 1 and 2, but subsequently recovered well. Birdies on Nos. 7 and 9 got her back to even par, and she alternated a bogey and birdie on Nos. 12 and 13 before officials halted play.
Arizona State Sun Devil Monica Vaughn vaulted into second place after a strong first 17 holes in the third round. She's one of the few players with a below-par score for the round. Vaughn is on pace to finish at one under, which would put her at one over for the tournament.
Beth Ann Nichols of Golfweek thinks that Vaughn is really benefiting from the wisdom of ASU associate head coach Missy Farr-Kaye:
While the Arizona State sophomore played well Sunday, she remains one shot back of Emma Talley, who carded a one-over 73 and is at even par for the championships. The Alabama junior began her third round with birdies on the second and third holes but bogeyed Nos. 4, 5 and 7, which undid all of her earlier progress.
Still, Talley is in a great position heading into the final round.
As LivingCrimson noted, the Crimson Tide's hopes of taking any trophy home from Bradenton, Florida, are essentially tied to Talley's performance:
Only the top 15 teams will move on to the final round of the women's championships. Alabama is sitting on the razor's edge in 15th, one shot ahead of UCLA. The Bruins haven't completed their round, though, so the Tide are anything but safe.
Day 2 Recap
For the second consecutive day, weather forced the women's championships to be postponed. Only half of the field completed its round, with Baylor owning the best score among teams in the clubhouse. USC was on its way to a big lead before lightning struck Concession Golf Club.
Annie Park, USC's All-American star and 2013 national champion, and Gabriella Then were having terrific days at even par through 11 holes. Park is leading the field with a two-day score of two-under par, though she still has seven holes left to play in the second round.
Per Dennis Maffezzoli of the Herald-Tribune, Park immediately jumped back into the lead after Alabama's Emma Talley moved one shot under par:
USC has been the only team to show any consistency thus far, so Sunday should be a promising day for the Trojans. Jason Dill of the Bradenton Herald noted the Trojans have had to fight adversity with the loss of Doris Chen due to injuries:
"Instead, the Trojans used their depth to replace a top-notch golfer in Bradenton's Doris Chen to produce a steady spring campaign that included winning the regional in Utah and earning a spot in the NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championship, which begins Friday at The Concession Golf Club.
'Everybody in our lineup has won a tournament,' USC head coach Andrea Gaston said. '... It's a young team, but I still think that our experience can help us be near the top.'
"
Baylor's final second-round tally of 307 is a 10-stroke drop from Round 1, but it can rest easier knowing it doesn't have to play extra holes on Sunday. The Bears will start from a place of knowing how many strokes they have to gain.
Hayley Davis led all Baylor players with a one-over 73. Her effort was needed, as Dylan Kim and Laura Lonardi went from a combined 145 (plus-one) on Friday to 153 (eight over).
The biggest loser on Saturday was Stanford, which went from being tied for the lead after the first round at five over par to a tie for 11th after shooting 323 (35 over par).
Mariah Stackhouse's collapse was stunning, as she went from leading the tournament with an opening-round 68 to shooting a 78. The bad news is she was the only Cardinal player to break 80.
With the exception of USC, scores seemed to skyrocket on Saturday as half of the field was forced to play extra holes. That's going to be the case again on Sunday, so expect to see a lot more high scores on a messy course.
The Trojans are in the driver's seat, though their lead is tenuous because they still have more holes to play than the two teams directly behind them (Duke, Tennessee). It's going to be an interesting couple of days in Florida, with no one running away from the pack yet.
Day 1 Recap
The story on Friday's opening day was weather. Lightning caused a delay just before 5 p.m. ET, though teams would get back on the course for nearly two more hours before it came back and forced play to be suspended with just half the field completing their round.
Play will resume on Saturday, per Steve Carp of the Las Vegas Review-Journal:
Duke has the best score among teams that were able to finish on Friday, shooting a five-over 293. Maguire led the Blue Devils with a one-under 71, which is more than one full stroke higher than where she has been in her last five tournaments, via Beth Ann Nichols of Golf Week:
It's hard to blame Maguire for "underperforming" given the tricky weather conditions in Florida on Thursday. Her rise in the United States has been meteoric, making an instant impression as a freshman coming from Ireland.
Maguire talked about where her game is at and improvements she's made since the season started with Josh Sens of Golf.com.
"It’s hard to single out just one thing," Maguire said. "My iron game has been pretty strong of late. I’ve given myself a lot of good opportunities. But I’ve also been spending a fair amount of time in the gym, and I’ve gotten a lot longer."
However, the round of the day was being put up by Stanford's Mariah Stackhouse before lightning forced her off the course. She was at four under par through 12 holes before Mother Nature decided it couldn't stand seeing someone dominating the course.
Stackhouse wasn't the only player on pace to shoot in the 60s, as Jason Dill of the Bradenton Herald noted Alabama's Emma Talley was one off the pace:
Thanks in large part to Stackhouse's efforts, the Cardinal were on pace to be in the lead at the end of Round 1 at plus-three for the foursome. Shannon Aubert (even through 13) and Lauren Kim (one over through 11) were posting solid rounds behind the All-Conference star.
Duke has been one of the NCAA powers in women's golf since its inception in 1982, winning six championships. Stanford is looking for its first title, so this was a good starting salvo even if it was incomplete due to bad weather.
Baylor is also right in the mix at seven over par before its round was halted, and USC is just four strokes behind Duke with all of its players in the clubhouse. There will be a lot of action taking place on Saturday to get 12 teams caught up, so expect a lot of moving on the leaderboard before it's all said and done.
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