Baylor Well Off Lead at Women’s NCAA Golf Championships
The Baylor Bears, fresh off a win in regionals, ended up in a tie for 12th place after the first round of the NCAA Women’s Golf Championships on Friday at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Baylor, making its sixth appearance at nationals in history and coming off a 14th-place finish at last year’s championships, is still in position to advance past the 54-hole cut on Sunday, even though the Bears are 12 shots out of the lead.
The Bears were hoping to replicate what they did in 2015 when they won a regional tournament. That year, the Bears finished second in the NCAA Tournament.
By the end of the first round, the Bears had a 13-over-par 301. Stanford was in the lead at 1-over-par, with Texas A&M in second place and UCLA in third place. As long as Baylor is in the Top 15 by the end of Sunday’s third round, the Bears will be able to play in the final round of stroke play on Monday.
It was a rough day for Baylor, as all five of its players finished over par (they take the top four scores each day in the team competition). Gurleen Kaur and Rosie Belsham each finished with a 74 to lead the way. Addie Baggarly shot a 76, Hannah Karg shot a 77 and Britta Snyder shot an 83.
Play continues on Saturday. On Monday, they will play a final 18 holes of stroke play and the top eight teams advance to match play. The 72-hole champion will also be crowned that day.
The team national champion is crowned through match-play format with teams seeded 1-8 based on stroke play results. The quarterfinals and semifinals take place Tuesday, while the championship match is scheduled for Wednesday.
You can follow Matthew Postins on Twitter @PostinsPostcard
Want the latest in breaking and insider news for the Baylor Bears? Click Here
Follow Inside the Bears on Twitter
Follow Inside the Bears on Facebook