UVA battles windy conditions on Day One of NCAA Championships

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

The No. 8 Virginia women’s golf finished the first round of the NCAA Championships in 18th place after shooting 16-over 304 at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. The Cavaliers played in the afternoon wave when winds consistently blew 20 miles per hour with gusts exceeding 30 miles per hour.

Top-ranked Stanford leads the field after shooting 1-over 289. Only eight shots separate the teams in the field between fourth and 18th place. Just five players managed to break par in the 131-player field.

“Last night we talked about the fact you can’t win the tournament on day one but you can put yourself in good position,” said UVA head coach Ria Scott. “I’m not sure we put ourselves in good position, but the scores are so bunched up, we definitely still have a chance. This team is no stranger to making a comeback. They’re really good over a few rounds and I think we’ll see a team on Saturday that’s not worried and will come out here and gain a few shots on the field.”

Following 54 holes of stroke play, the 24-team field will be cut to 15 teams for the fourth round. At that point the individual champion will be crowned and the top eight teams will advance to match play that starts Monday.

Virginia was led by graduate student Beth Lillie who shot 1-over 73 to finish the day tied for 18th place. Lillie’s round featured four birdies and five bogeys. Last year she was ninth at the event which was also held at Grayhawk.

“It’s really, really tough with the wind like it was last year,” Lillie said. “If you miss the fairway, you’re in thick rough. If you miss the green, you’re in thick rough. It is a very demanding course. When you play in wind like this, it is double as demanding. I think we’re excited to be able to play in the morning tomorrow.”

UVA’s other first-round scores included a 2-over 74 from freshman Amanda Sambach, 77 from sophomore Jennifer Cleary while senior Riley Smyth shot 80 and junior Celeste Valinho posted a score of 83.

The Cavaliers will start their second round at 7:30 a.m. while paired with Alabama and Arizona State. Those teams will start play on the first tee. Live scoring is online at Golfstat.com.

NCAA Championships
Grayhawk Golf Club
Scottsdale, Ariz.
Par 71, 6,340 yards
First Round Results

Team Results
1. Stanford — 289
2. Texas A&M — 292
3. UCLA — 295
4. Auburn — 296
4. LSU — 296
4. Florida State — 296
7. Oregon — 297
8. Alabama — 298
8. USC — 298
10. Mississippi State — 299
11. TCU — 300
12. Wake Forest — 301
12. Michigan — 301
12. Purdue — 301
12. Baylor — 301
16. Arizona State — 302
17. Georgia — 303
18. Virginia — 304
19. Texas — 305
20. South Carolina — 306
21. Oklahoma State — 307
21. San Jose State — 307
21. Arkansas — 307
24. Vanderbilt — 308

Individual Leaders
1. Rose Zhang, Stanford — 68
2. Zoe Slaughter, Texas A&M — 69

Virginia Results
18. Beth Lillie — 73
27. Amanda Sambach — 74
81. Jennifer Cleary — 77
109. Riley Smyth — 80
126. Celeste Valinho — 83