NCAA Women's Golf Championships 2017: Monica Vaughn Registers Win by 1 Stroke

Monica Vaughn of Arizona State is the 2017 NCAA women's golf individual champion after finishing the tournament one stroke over par.

Wake Forest's Jennifer Kupcho entered Monday with the lead and maintained control most of the round until a triple-bogey on No. 17 cost her a championship. Vaughn took advantage as her final round of 71 was enough to win by one stroke at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Illinois.

The tournament was shortened to three rounds after Saturday's action was canceled, but Vaughn remained steady over the 54 holes to earn the title.

Northwestern finished first in the stroke-play portion of the team event, but it will have to battle seven other teams in match play for a championship.

Individual Event

Player	Score
1. Monica Vaughn (Arizona State)	+1
T2. Jennifer Kupcho (Wake Forest)	+2
T2. Leona Maguire (Duke)	+2
T4. Elodie Van Dievoet (Michigan)	+3
T4. August Kim (Purdue)	+3
6. Andrea Lee (Stanford)	+4
7. Amy Lee (Baylor)	+5
T8. Haylee Harford (Furman)	+6
T8. Tiffany Chan (USC)	+6
T10. Cheyenne Knight (Alabama)	+7
T10. Ainhoa Olarra (South Carolina)	+7
T10. Albane Valenzuela (Stanford)	+7

Kupcho entered the day in first place after an impressive third-round score of 70 to put her even for the tournament.

She maintained the lead almost the entire round until this shot on No. 17, via Golf Channel:

The triple-bogey lost her the lead and she followed it up with a par on 18 to end at two over.

Meanwhile, Vaughn—who started on the back nine—bounced back from a three-putt on No. 5 to post back-to-back birdies on Nos. 6 and 7. A pair of pars on the last two holes were enough to hold on for the win.

Kupcho was cruising in the early going with two birdies and zero bogeys on the front nine. 

She didn't have a team around her like other top contenders, but Kevin Casey of Golfweek noted the strong play:

It took until the 14th hole for the sophomore to card her first bogey, although she still maintained a three-stroke lead until the last few holes. Vaughn put the pressure on with her two birdies to cut the lead to two, and then Kupcho responded by putting it in the water on No. 17.

This turnaround defined the tournament as the Arizona State star was able to hold on for the win. 

Golf Channel captured the winning putt and ensuing celebration:

Duke's Leona Maguire put the pressure on early by posting a plus-two score in the clubhouse after a morning round. She had a 77 on Day 1, but the No. 1-ranked player bounced back with 71 and 70 in the final two rounds.

Although it wasn't good enough for the win, Justin Ray of Golf Channel noted just how good she has been in her career:

Elodie Van Dievoet of Michigan also had a strong finish as she posted a 68, while Purdue's August Kim had an up-and-down day to end at three over for the tournament. 

Still, Vaughn was the best of the field after posting rounds of 74, 72 and then 71 for the title.

Team Event

Team	Score
1. Northwestern	+33
2. Stanford	+41
3. Arizona State	+45
4. Ohio State	+49
T5. Southern California	+50
T5. Florida	+50
7. Baylor	+53
8. Kent State	+55
9. North Carolina	+56
10. South Carolina	+59

Northwestern had five players finish in the top 30 in the individual event, and this depth was a big part of the success in the team portion of the NCAA tournament.

After posting the best cumulative score in Round 1 and tied for the best in Round 2, the Wildcats had plenty of breathing room Monday. This didn't slow them down as Hannah Kim led the way with a 73 to help the squad to a 298.

However, this is only the start of the competition toward a national title. The top eight teams advanced to a match-play tournament, which will feature the quarterfinals and semifinals on Tuesday before the final on Wednesday.

This kept the battle for one of the final eight spots as important as any part of the rankings.

Miami appeared ready to compete for one of those positions but fell to a technicality, as described by Ryan Lavner of Golf Channel:

North Carolina was the first among the contenders in the clubhouse at 56 over after an impressive 296 combined score. South Carolina and Baylor then spent their day trying to beat the score to earn the last spot in the quarterfinals.

While the Gamecocks fell behind, the Bears turned to their best player in a key moment, as described by the team site:

Amy Lee ended with a birdie and a round score of 70, leading Baylor to the next round.

Kent State nearly blew its position with a miserable finish but managed to hold onto the eighth seed by one stroke. 

Stanford had little to worry about Sunday while earning a second-place finish, but the squad looks extremely dangerous going forward. After a bad start for the top-seeded squad Friday, it bounced back with a 298 and then a 296 to work its way into the quarterfinals.

With the way Andrea Lee performed to card a 72 on the final day, the Cardinal remains a top contender for a national championship.

Northwestern was clearly the best to this point, but the winners will be decided the next two days.