STILLWATER, Okla.—James White opened the NCAA Championship with a
impressive five-under 67 Tuesday. Mind you, you wouldn't have guessed it
by the way he talked after his round. The junior from Acworth, Ga.,
spoke cautiously about the way he tamed Karsten Creek GC
(my words, not his) seemingly as if not to jinx himself.
"I just hope I didn't use up all my birdies today. We've got a long way
to go," said White, who made eight on the day. "It's a tough golf
course. I was sweating over every shot. I knew I was just one swing away
from a double bogey at all times."
If the first round leader appeared to have that much confidence, imagine how the rest of the field must have felt.
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Results for May 2011
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Arkansas' Austin Cook bellys-up at NCAAs
STILLWATER, Okla.—Attention Arkansas women's assistant coach Mike Adams. You're going to need to get yourself a new putter. The one that Razorback sophomore Austin Cook "borrowed" from you a few weeks ago in hopes of helping his sagging short game isn't going to be returned any time soon.
Not after Cook's two-under 70 during the first round of the NCAA Championship. It was the low score by any individual posted during the morning wave at Karsten Creek GC, when just five sub-par rounds posted through the mid-way point of the opening round.
Cook was struggling with a traditional length putter after a T-35 showing at the SEC Championship, his second straight finish outside the top 30, and saw Adams' Rife belly putter in the Razorbacks office. Figuring it couldn't hurt, he brought it out to the course put it in play while finishing T-14 at the Southeast Regional in Florida. Read more
Not after Cook's two-under 70 during the first round of the NCAA Championship. It was the low score by any individual posted during the morning wave at Karsten Creek GC, when just five sub-par rounds posted through the mid-way point of the opening round.
Cook was struggling with a traditional length putter after a T-35 showing at the SEC Championship, his second straight finish outside the top 30, and saw Adams' Rife belly putter in the Razorbacks office. Figuring it couldn't hurt, he brought it out to the course put it in play while finishing T-14 at the Southeast Regional in Florida. Read more
Something for Ohio State fans to smile about
STILLWATER, Okla.—For an athletic department that can use a little good
news about now, the Ohio State men's golf team did its best to oblige.
Led by senior Bo Hoag's 71, the Buckeyes posted a three-under 291 during
the first round at the NCAA Championship, the low score among the
schools playing in the morning wave at Karsten Creek GC.
Calmer conditions greeted the field Tuesday, with the 30 mile-an-hour winds from the practice round having dissipated, making the treacherous Tom Fazio course far more playable.
"I pulled them all together and I told the guys what makes this golf course is the wind," said Ohio State second-year coach Donnie Darr, a former assistant at Oklahoma State, who knew that without the breeze, there was a good number out there. "You've just got to understand that it's there to be had, and you've got to go get it. We didn't quite go get it, but we posted a pretty good number."
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Calmer conditions greeted the field Tuesday, with the 30 mile-an-hour winds from the practice round having dissipated, making the treacherous Tom Fazio course far more playable.
"I pulled them all together and I told the guys what makes this golf course is the wind," said Ohio State second-year coach Donnie Darr, a former assistant at Oklahoma State, who knew that without the breeze, there was a good number out there. "You've just got to understand that it's there to be had, and you've got to go get it. We didn't quite go get it, but we posted a pretty good number."
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And your 2011 NCAA men's champion is ...
STILLWATER, Okla.—By any measure—wins, stroke average, eye test, rock/paper/scissors, etc.—the best team during the 2010-11 season in men's college golf has
been Oklahoma State. Add that with the fact that this week's NCAA
Championship is being held on the team's home course, Karsten Creek GC,
and there's no doubt who the favorite is to claim the national title.
The question, of course, is whether the Cowboys will fulfill their destiny and hold the trophy come Sunday.
With crowds that are likely to number in the thousands, there will be all sorts of local support behind OSU's bid for its 11th NCAA crown. At the same time, this just might increase the pressure that Mike McGraw's crew—Peter Uihlein, Morgan Hoffmann, Kevin Tway, Sean Einhaus and Talor Gooch—is likely to face this week. There is no other outcome that will please the folks in orange and black. And there is no other outcome that they anticipate happening.
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The question, of course, is whether the Cowboys will fulfill their destiny and hold the trophy come Sunday.
With crowds that are likely to number in the thousands, there will be all sorts of local support behind OSU's bid for its 11th NCAA crown. At the same time, this just might increase the pressure that Mike McGraw's crew—Peter Uihlein, Morgan Hoffmann, Kevin Tway, Sean Einhaus and Talor Gooch—is likely to face this week. There is no other outcome that will please the folks in orange and black. And there is no other outcome that they anticipate happening.
Read more
Records to know for NCAA Men's field
Can anyone hold off Oklahoma State this week at the NCAA Championship? To try to see who might be able to at least negotiate the field and be among the eight teams that advances to the match-play portion of the championship at Karsten Creek GC, here's a look at the records of each of the 30 teams in the field against each other plus their overall records for the 2010-11 season.
Final thoughts from women's nationals
My apologizes in advance for the delay in posting a recap from the NCAA
Women's Championship. I had a nice time in the Bryan/College Station
area—big thumbs up to Freebirds for anyone looking for a good
burrito—but found a cold tucked away in carry-on luggage on the flight
back home. I don't want to hide behind any excuses, however, least I not
show the same class that those who I covered demonstrated last week.
Indeed, among the memories I'll have from my 10th trip to nationals (starting to feel old) is the fact that despite what turned out to be a disappointing afternoon for his Purdue team, Boilermaker coach Devon Brouse was a stand-up individual. Read more
Indeed, among the memories I'll have from my 10th trip to nationals (starting to feel old) is the fact that despite what turned out to be a disappointing afternoon for his Purdue team, Boilermaker coach Devon Brouse was a stand-up individual. Read more
UCLA wins 3rd NCAA women's golf title, LSU's Austin Ernst medalist
BRYAN, Texas (AP) -- UCLA fought off a last-round surge by defending champion Purdue to win the NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championship by four strokes Saturday and LSU freshman Austin Ernst had a hole-in-one and shot a 6-under 66 to take the individual title by three strokes.
UCLA led by seven strokes after the third round, but trailed early in the fourth before regaining the lead on the back nine at the Traditions Club. The Bruins finished at 21-over 1,173 for their third national championship. They also won in 1991 and 2004.
"It was pretty intense out there," UCLA coach Carrie Forsyth said. "We were not playing very well and it got too close for comfort for a while and we started to come back a little bit and make some birdies."
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UCLA led by seven strokes after the third round, but trailed early in the fourth before regaining the lead on the back nine at the Traditions Club. The Bruins finished at 21-over 1,173 for their third national championship. They also won in 1991 and 2004.
"It was pretty intense out there," UCLA coach Carrie Forsyth said. "We were not playing very well and it got too close for comfort for a while and we started to come back a little bit and make some birdies."
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UCLA, Lua lead with 18 holes to play at NCAAs
BRYAN, TEXAS—The thunderstorms finally arrived overnight at The Traditions Club, producing an impressive lightning display. Under merely cloudy skies, however, the third round resumed on time Saturday morning. When the six remaining schools finished play roughly an hour later, UCLA had picked up one more shot on Purdue, finishing at 14-over 878, seven strokes ahead of the second-place Boilermakers.
The two schools will be joined by Virginia in this afternoon's final round, the Cavaliers having wrapped up their third round Friday evening, coming in at 24-over 890.
In the individual race, UCLA's TIffany Lua posted a third-round 70, making a bogey on the 15th hole (the first of four she played Saturday morning). The sophomore stands at four-under 212, two stroke ahead of Georgia's Marta Silva Zamora (third-round 72) and three strokes ahead of LSU's Austin Ernst (77), Purdue's Laura Gonzalaz-Escallon (70) and Michigan State's Caroline Powers (69). Thirteen players are within six strokes over Lua's score with 18 holes remaining.
Lua will have an idea of what number she needs to shoot in order to take the individual title as Silva Zamora and Powers will both be playing their final round during the morning wave, teeing off at 9:25 local time.
The two schools will be joined by Virginia in this afternoon's final round, the Cavaliers having wrapped up their third round Friday evening, coming in at 24-over 890.
In the individual race, UCLA's TIffany Lua posted a third-round 70, making a bogey on the 15th hole (the first of four she played Saturday morning). The sophomore stands at four-under 212, two stroke ahead of Georgia's Marta Silva Zamora (third-round 72) and three strokes ahead of LSU's Austin Ernst (77), Purdue's Laura Gonzalaz-Escallon (70) and Michigan State's Caroline Powers (69). Thirteen players are within six strokes over Lua's score with 18 holes remaining.
Lua will have an idea of what number she needs to shoot in order to take the individual title as Silva Zamora and Powers will both be playing their final round during the morning wave, teeing off at 9:25 local time.
UCLA hangs on to lead with Lua leading charge
BRYAN, TEXAS—No rain fell, and no lightning was spotted, but a nearly
two-hour weather delay due to the threat of storms in the area changed
the complexion of the NCAA Women's Championship, preventing the third
round from being completed Friday and shifting the momentum in both the
team and individual races.
When officials stopped play at 3:30 p.m. local time, UCLA was five over for the tournament, eight strokes better than second-place Purdue. Meanwhile, LSU's Austin Ernst, fresh off a second-round 66, was at one under for the day through five holes and seven under overall, five strokes ahead of her nearest competitors, including UCLA's Tiffany Lua.
Upon their return to the course at 5:20 p.m., however, the script flipped. UCLA made a handful of "silly mistakes," according to coach Carrie Forsyth, and watched the Boilermakers actually take the lead momentarily as the teams played the back nine. And Ernst, a freshman from Seneca, S.C., suddenly started to sputter, making a triple-bogey 7 on the par-4 ninth hole, a triple-bogey 7 on the par-4 12th and a bogey on the 13th. Read more
When officials stopped play at 3:30 p.m. local time, UCLA was five over for the tournament, eight strokes better than second-place Purdue. Meanwhile, LSU's Austin Ernst, fresh off a second-round 66, was at one under for the day through five holes and seven under overall, five strokes ahead of her nearest competitors, including UCLA's Tiffany Lua.
Upon their return to the course at 5:20 p.m., however, the script flipped. UCLA made a handful of "silly mistakes," according to coach Carrie Forsyth, and watched the Boilermakers actually take the lead momentarily as the teams played the back nine. And Ernst, a freshman from Seneca, S.C., suddenly started to sputter, making a triple-bogey 7 on the par-4 ninth hole, a triple-bogey 7 on the par-4 12th and a bogey on the 13th. Read more
LSU's Ernst rolls her way to the 36-hole lead
BRYAN, TEXAS—For a player to win an NCAA individual title, she usually
needs to be in possession of a hot putter. Suffice it to say, LSU's Austin Ernst
had that covered Thursday during the second round of the NCAA Women's
Championship.
En route to a six-under 66 at The Traditions Club, the freshman from Seneca, S.C., made seven birdies from nearly a combined 75 feet, five from more than 10 feet. After an opening-round 72, Ernst had a commanding three-stroke lead over Purdue's Numa Gulyanamitta at the mid-way point of the national championship.
Gusty winds returned for a second straight day to the Texas plains, with low scores coming at a premium. Ernst's 66, one off the competitive course record set last September at the NCAA Preview, was three strokes clear of the next best score posted during the first 36 holes. Read more
En route to a six-under 66 at The Traditions Club, the freshman from Seneca, S.C., made seven birdies from nearly a combined 75 feet, five from more than 10 feet. After an opening-round 72, Ernst had a commanding three-stroke lead over Purdue's Numa Gulyanamitta at the mid-way point of the national championship.
Gusty winds returned for a second straight day to the Texas plains, with low scores coming at a premium. Ernst's 66, one off the competitive course record set last September at the NCAA Preview, was three strokes clear of the next best score posted during the first 36 holes. Read more
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