The Loop

4 questions for Day 3 of the D-I women's regionals

1. How far back is too far back to jump into the top eight in any one region?

Is it 10 strokes? If so, Wake Forest is going to test it out in the East Regional, being in 13th place, 10 back of eighth-place Florida.

2. What are the odds of a playoff somewhere?

Great in my mind. In the Central Regional there are seven teams (New Mexico, Denver, Mississippi, Michigan State, Georgia, Kent State, Florida State) within six strokes of fifth-place Purdue. In the West, three teams are tied for fifth (California, LSU, Texas) at 29 over, then six teams (Iowa State, Stanford, Texas A&M, UNLV, San Jose State, Ohio State) within six strokes of them as well.

__3. Can two players carry a team to the national championship?

Apparently so as Oklahoma State is in third place in the Central Regional with__Victoria Park and Caroline Hedwall sitting T-1 and T-7 individually and no other Cowgirl better than T-34. Out West, Virginia is fourth with Calle Nielson and Brittany Altomare T-3 and T-7 and the next best Cavailer being T-48.

__4. Is Arizona for real?

__The Wildcats victory at the Pac-10 championship came with some baggage seeing as Arizona State had to withdraw from the team competition and USC had a player get DQ'd in the second round. Yet Arizona is three strokes up on top-ranked UCLA at the West Regional and looks like it has a world of confidence. It helps playing at a familar course in Stanford GC, but still the Wildcats are starting to turn heads. If they should win the West, it would be their first regional title since 2001 and might force us all to expand the West Coast's Big Three to a Fab Four.