Johnson Wins Individual Title, and NDSU Wins the Team at Torrey Pines
March 27, 2024
Four years ago, New Prague's Kenzie Neisen and Wayzata's Sarah Burnham ended their high school careers by putting on what probably ranks as the greatest show in the history of the Minnesota state high school tournament.
Having tied Neisen for the Class AAA championship a year earlier with a record low score of 140 at Bunker Hills, Burnham bettered that total by four strokes in 2014 with an 8-under-par 136. But she didn't win, because Neisen shot 135. No one in Class AAA has come close to matching either of those scores since then.
On Wednesday, Neisen and Burnham both concluced their college careers in dramatic fashion at NCAA regional tournaments 1,750 miles apart. This time, however, the two seniors both came up one shot short.
There were four regionals played this week. The top six teams from each advanced to the 2018 NCAA Championships, which will be played May 18-23 at Karsten Creek GC in Stillwater, Okla. The top three individual finishers not on an advancing team also qualified from each regional to play at Karsten Creek.
Karsten Creek is the home course for Oklahoma State, the team Neisen plays for. But the Cowgirls won't be playing there at the end of May. They shot a combined 870 at TPC Harding Park GC and tied San Diego State for seventh place in the San Francisco Regional. Colorado took sixth -- the last spot among the advancing teams -- with an 869. Neisen shot a final round of 75 for a 54-hole total of 219 and a tie for 33rd place.
Her teammate Emma Broze made it as an individual. She closed with a 72 for an aggregate of 213 and a tie for eighth. She then defeated North Carolina's Lauren Kowohl to claim the third individual berth in the NCAA.
The Cowgirls Stephanie Astrup was in position to shoot the best score of her college career. Through 17 holes, she was 4 under par, but she made a double bogey at the 18th and had to settle for a 70 (which tied her career best) and 219, putting her in the tie for 33rd with Neisen.
In the Austin (Texas) Regional, Burnham's Michigan State team finished eighth, but on the final day never really had a chance to make the top six. The Spartans combined for an 882 total, and that was 12 behind sixth-place Oklahoma.
Burnham, on the other hand, was right in the hunt for one of the individual berths. On Tuesday, she had struggled early, then got back into the thick of things by playing the last seven holes at the University of Texas Gofl Club in 4 under. The three-time MGA Women's Player of the Year concluded that round with three birdies in a row at the 16th (186 yards, par 3), 17th (384, par 4) and 18th (361, par 4) for a 72. On Wednesday, she was even par after making a bogey at the 10th (379, par 4), her only bogey of the day. But she bounced back with birdies at the 11th (526, par 5) and the 13th (348, par 4) and posted a 70, which earned her a tie for fourth at 212 (4 under).
Unfortunately, one of the three players ahead of her, second-place Maddie Szeryk, plays for Texas A&M, which didn't make it as a team (the Aggies were seventh). And there were seven other players in the tie for fourth at 212, including Rose Huang of Brigham Young and Leionie Harm of Houston. Their teams didn't make it, either.
So Burnham, Huang and Harm played off for the last two individual spots. All three made pars on the first four holes of the playoff, and then Huang made a birdie at the fifth. Burnham and Harm both parred the sixth, but at the seventh extra hole, Burnham hit her approach shot over the green and into a water hazard. She nearly chipped in for a par, but tapped in for a bogey. Harm then two-putted from 10 feet for her par -- and the last available spot.
WOMEN'S NCAA REGIONALS
Austin, Texas
At University of Texas Golf Club
Par 72, 6,341 yards
Final results (the top six teams -- from a field of 18 -- qualify from each of the four regionals for the NCAA Championships, May 18-23 at Karsten Creek GC in Stillwater, Okla.)
1. Arkansas 284-271-283--838
2. Texas 281-285-283--849
T3. Auburn 292-291-286-- 869
T3. Florida 291-287-291--869
T3. Baylor 288-293-188--869
6. Oklahoma 299-282-289--870
Did not advance
7. Texas A&M 295-286-297--878
8. Michigan State 285-302-295--882
Individuals (from each regional, the top three individuals whose teams did not advance earn spots in the NCAA as individuals)
1. Maria Fassi, Arkansas 69-70-69--208
2. Maddie Szeryk, Texas A&M 68-69-72--209*
3. Dylan Kim, Arkansas 70-68-73--211
T4. Rose Huang, Brigham Young 71-70-71--212* (won playoff with birdie on fifth extra hole)
T4. Leonie Harm, Houston 76-71-65--212* (earned the remaining spot with a par on the seventh playoff hole)
T4. Sarah Burnham, Mich. State 70-72-70--212
T4. Sophia Schubert, Texas 69-73-70--212**
T4. Emilee Hoffman, Texas 72-69-71--212**
T4. Julienne Soo, Oklahoma 75-67-70--212**
T4. Alana Uriel, Arkansas 78-65-69--212**
T4. Kaylee Benton, Arkansas 72-68-72--212**
*--indicates individual qualifiers
**--all qualified for NCAA with their teams
San Francisco
At TPC Harding Park
Par 72, 6,369 yards
Final results
1. Stanford 287-287-282--856
2. UCLA 280-295-285--860
3. Ole Miss 290-287-286--863
4. Louisville 287-294-283--864
5. Kent State 284-290-291--865
6. Colorado 284-298-287--869
Did not advance
7. Oklahoma State 291-289-290--870
8. San Diego State 289-294-287--870
9. North Carolina 289-292-290--871
10. South Carolina 296-289-288--873
Individuals
1. Patty Tavatanakit, UCLA 68-73-67--208
2. Emily Wang, Stanford 71-69-69--209
T3. Julia Johnson, Ole Miss 71-72-67--210
T3. Marthe Wold, California 71-70-69--210*
T3. Mariel Galdiano, UCLA 66-75-69--210
T6. Hira Naveed, Pepperdine 72-67-72--211*
T6. Brittany Fan, Colorado 66-75-70--211
T8. Emma Broze, Oklahoma State 72-69-72--213*
T33. Kenzie Neisen, Okla. State 70-74-75--219
*--indicates individual qualifiers
Madison, Wis.
At University Ridge Golf Course
Par 73, 6,313 yards
Final results
1. Duke 283-279-288--850
2. Virginia 279-291-289--859
3. Southern California 285-288-289--862
T4. Arizona State 288-286-289--863
T4. Ohio State 293-284-286--863
6. Northwestern 294-283-287--864
Did not advance
17. North Dakota State 315-298-313--926
Individuals
1. Nicole Schroeder, Oregon State 68-66-72--206*
T2. Jaclyn Lee, Ohio State 71-68-69--208
T2. Leona Maguire, Duke 74-65-69--208
T4. Gabby Curtis, Wisconsin 67-74-68--209*
T4. Brooke Riley, Northwestern 71-72-66--209
6. Jennifer Chang, Southern Cal. 73-70-68--211
T7. Erin Harper, Indiana 70-68-75--213*
T73. Natalie Roth, NDSU 76-72-82--230
T82. Emma Groom, NDSU 78-77-78--233
*--indicates individual qualifiers
March 6, 2024
March 6, 2024
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