[Spiny_Norman]

The Stanford women begin play in the NCAA golf championship on Friday. They will play the first 2 rounds with Vanderbilt and Florida State. Stanford starts on the back 9 on Friday at 1 pm local time/11 am pacific. They will turn around and play in the early wave on Saturday.

The format is 72 holes of stroke play followed by single-elimination match play for the 8 lowest scoring teams. The NCAA changed to this medal/match play format for the women in 2015. Stanford has qualified for match play every year. Stanford won in 2015 and has been eliminated in the finals or semis by the eventual national champion every year since then.

NCAA championship golf is akin to the US Open in terms of course set up. The course will be long with thick rough and very slick greens. Greens on regional courses are set up to run at 9-10 on a Stimpmeter. Blessings could be at 12 or 13. Par will be a very good score for the women. Last year at Karsten Creek on a course similar to the Blessings, Stanford qualified at +28. 

A nice story about the challenges that the teams will face in Arkansas. In addition, there will be weather. 80% chance of thunderstorms on Saturday.
https://golfweek.com/2019/05/10/ncaa-cha...challenge/

You will be able to follow live scoring here - http://results.golfstat.com/public/leade...&tid=17030

No tv until Monday when Golf Channel will televise the final afternoon of stroke play.

---

I should have added that Stanford's lineup will be the same as for P12s and Regionals:

1 - Andrea Lee (junior)
2 - Albane Valenzuela (junior)
3 - Aline Krauter (freshman)
4 - Ziyi Wang (junior)
5 - Mika Liu (sophomore)

Stanford has 2 other players on the roster with NCAA experience, Sierra Kersten and Madie Chou. Neither of them has cracked the top 5, a testament to the depth of the team. Stanford has the talent to compete for a NC, but they have not played to their potential since February.

[Spiny_Norman]

The Stanford women begin play in the NCAA golf championship on Friday. They will play the first 2 rounds with Vanderbilt and Florida State. Stanford starts on the back 9 on Friday at 1 pm local time/11 am pacific. They will turn around and play in the early wave on Saturday.

The format is 72 holes of stroke play followed by single-elimination match play for the 8 lowest scoring teams. The NCAA changed to this medal/match play format for the women in 2015. Stanford has qualified for match play every year. Stanford won in 2015 and has been eliminated in the finals or semis by the eventual national champion every year since then.

NCAA championship golf is akin to the US Open in terms of course set up. The course will be long with thick rough and very slick greens. Greens on regional courses are set up to run at 9-10 on a Stimpmeter. Blessings could be at 12 or 13. Par will be a very good score for the women. Last year at Karsten Creek on a course similar to the Blessings, Stanford qualified at +28. 

A nice story about the challenges that the teams will face in Arkansas. In addition, there will be weather. 80% chance of thunderstorms on Saturday.
https://golfweek.com/2019/05/10/ncaa-cha...challenge/

You will be able to follow live scoring here - http://results.golfstat.com/public/leade...&tid=17030

No tv until Monday when Golf Channel will televise the final afternoon of stroke play.

---

I should have added that Stanford's lineup will be the same as for P12s and Regionals:

1 - Andrea Lee (junior)
2 - Albane Valenzuela (junior)
3 - Aline Krauter (freshman)
4 - Ziyi Wang (junior)
5 - Mika Liu (sophomore)

Stanford has 2 other players on the roster with NCAA experience, Sierra Kersten and Madie Chou. Neither of them has cracked the top 5, a testament to the depth of the team. Stanford has the talent to compete for a NC, but they have not played to their potential since February.

[BobK]

We tee off today at about 11AM our time. The course seems to be playing tough in the early going.

[BobK]

We tee off today at about 11AM our time. The course seems to be playing tough in the early going.

[ColoradoTree]

We tee off today at about 11AM our time.  The course seems to be playing tough in the early going.

I'll say. UCLA is already +12, and not one of their players has even finished 9 holes yet! 7 bogeys, 3 double bogeys, and 2 triple bogeys so far for that ultra-talented team. Bethany Wu is currently +5 through 5 holes and they're counting her score, as Yue is +7 through 8.

[ColoradoTree]

We tee off today at about 11AM our time.  The course seems to be playing tough in the early going.

I'll say. UCLA is already +12, and not one of their players has even finished 9 holes yet! 7 bogeys, 3 double bogeys, and 2 triple bogeys so far for that ultra-talented team. Bethany Wu is currently +5 through 5 holes and they're counting her score, as Yue is +7 through 8.

[ColoradoTree]

UCLA still in last place of the teams to have teed off, at +15 with everyone but Tavatanakit having finished the front 9. But in fairness to them, the leader is currently Purdue at +8, and they're only through 4-6. Four schools are tied for second at +9. 

Just make pars today, and you'll be in the team lead by a mile. Only four individuals (of the 66 to have teed off) so far are under par.

[ColoradoTree]

UCLA still in last place of the teams to have teed off, at +15 with everyone but Tavatanakit having finished the front 9. But in fairness to them, the leader is currently Purdue at +8, and they're only through 4-6. Four schools are tied for second at +9. 

Just make pars today, and you'll be in the team lead by a mile. Only four individuals (of the 66 to have teed off) so far are under par.

[Spiny_Norman]

Blessings appears to be playing as hard as Concession GC in Florida in 2015. The average score for round 1 then was over 78. The average score for round 2 was over 79. Only 1 Stanford player broke 80 in the 2nd round. Washington qualified for match play in the 8th spot at +62.

A big problem at Concession was the speed of the greens. It took several rounds to get used to how fast they were. Might be a similar dynamic at Blessings.

I should add a comment about an unusual aspect to the golf course, at least for the women. Blessings has 5 par 5s and plays to par 73. You would think that might result in more birdie opportunities because good college golfers eat up par 5s. We'll see how that plays out. Should make match play a little more exciting. I expect that one of the par 5s on the front 9 will convert to a par 4 for the men next week.

[Spiny_Norman]

Blessings appears to be playing as hard as Concession GC in Florida in 2015. The average score for round 1 then was over 78. The average score for round 2 was over 79. Only 1 Stanford player broke 80 in the 2nd round. Washington qualified for match play in the 8th spot at +62.

A big problem at Concession was the speed of the greens. It took several rounds to get used to how fast they were. Might be a similar dynamic at Blessings.

I should add a comment about an unusual aspect to the golf course, at least for the women. Blessings has 5 par 5s and plays to par 73. You would think that might result in more birdie opportunities because good college golfers eat up par 5s. We'll see how that plays out. Should make match play a little more exciting. I expect that one of the par 5s on the front 9 will convert to a par 4 for the men next week.

[ColoradoTree]

UCLA's Yue is not having a great day. No one's doing that well, of course, but after a decent start (two bogeys and four pars in the first six holes), her round has gone triple bogey-double bogey-bogey-bogey-bogey-bogey-bogey-bogey-bogey. 

What a cruel sport this is.

[ColoradoTree]

UCLA's Yue is not having a great day. No one's doing that well, of course, but after a decent start (two bogeys and four pars in the first six holes), her round has gone triple bogey-double bogey-bogey-bogey-bogey-bogey-bogey-bogey-bogey. 

What a cruel sport this is.

[Hulk01]

Hard to bet against USC in the women's, a rare concentration of talent.

Average score over 80 so far (2 00 pm Arkansas time.)  Course sets up well for Valenzuela if she control the speed on her downhill putts; she's a terrific ball striker.

Love this course and the setup.  The winners will be deserving, and this course will penalize the teams that are heavy on bomb and gougers, which we aren't.   Curious if this course plays well for Oklahoma State's one and two, Wolff and Hovland.  It it doesn't, the men's event is wide open.

[Hulk01]

Hard to bet against USC in the women's, a rare concentration of talent.

Average score over 80 so far (2 00 pm Arkansas time.)  Course sets up well for Valenzuela if she control the speed on her downhill putts; she's a terrific ball striker.

Love this course and the setup.  The winners will be deserving, and this course will penalize the teams that are heavy on bomb and gougers, which we aren't.   Curious if this course plays well for Oklahoma State's one and two, Wolff and Hovland.  It it doesn't, the men's event is wide open.

[oldalum]

We start out on 10 with a triple-bogey and bogey.

[oldalum]

We start out on 10 with a triple-bogey and bogey.

[Spiny_Norman]

Especially note how Stanford plays the first 9 holes. The team had a really rough start last year in Round 1. Only one player broke 40 on the front 9. The team showed good toughness in coming back from the hole they dug.

The golf course is the winner as the morning groups are finishing their rounds. Lowest posted score is 74 (+1). Olivia Meheffey from ASU is the #17 ranked amateur in the world. She shot 85.

[Spiny_Norman]

Especially note how Stanford plays the first 9 holes. The team had a really rough start last year in Round 1. Only one player broke 40 on the front 9. The team showed good toughness in coming back from the hole they dug.

The golf course is the winner as the morning groups are finishing their rounds. Lowest posted score is 74 (+1). Olivia Meheffey from ASU is the #17 ranked amateur in the world. She shot 85.

[oldalum]

We're hanging in there, making some birdies. currently +7, much better than our top-10 playing partners Vanderbilt and FSU.

[oldalum]

We're hanging in there, making some birdies. currently +7, much better than our top-10 playing partners Vanderbilt and FSU.

[Canalejas]

Looking at the team leaderboard it jumped out at me that only Texas has "University of" as part of their name.  That's a little odd.

[Canalejas]

Looking at the team leaderboard it jumped out at me that only Texas has "University of" as part of their name.  That's a little odd.

[Farm93]

UCLA's Yue is not having a great day. No one's doing that well, of course, but after a decent start (two bogeys and four pars in the first six holes), her round has gone triple bogey-double bogey-bogey-bogey-bogey-bogey-bogey-bogey-bogey. 

What a cruel sport this is.

UCLA's team score is looking better over time.   They might just end the day in the top 15.   Their first several holes were awful, but after that they really played better than many teams.

[Farm93]

UCLA's Yue is not having a great day. No one's doing that well, of course, but after a decent start (two bogeys and four pars in the first six holes), her round has gone triple bogey-double bogey-bogey-bogey-bogey-bogey-bogey-bogey-bogey. 

What a cruel sport this is.

UCLA's team score is looking better over time.   They might just end the day in the top 15.   Their first several holes were awful, but after that they really played better than many teams.

[Spiny_Norman]

I saw a quote from an Arkansas women's golfer alumnus who was not surprised at the high scores. She said the course gets easier with more experience. She said that one practice round would not be enough to figure things out.

Stanford struggled on 12 and 14, going a collective +9 on those two holes (+7 among the low 4 players). 12 and 14 have been the 2 hardest holes for the field today.

As the players start to make the turn, it's worth noting the split nature of the front 9. It includes some of the holes that the field has found the easiest (2, 6, 7, and 8). And 4 of the 6 hardest holes (1, 3, 4 and 9), each of which is playing at least half a stroke over par. Arkansas, the host school, has already posted 5 double bogeys on the front 9.

You want to see Stanford limit the damage on the tough holes and take advantage of the easier ones.

---

UCLA's Yue is not having a great day. No one's doing that well, of course, but after a decent start (two bogeys and four pars in the first six holes), her round has gone triple bogey-double bogey-bogey-bogey-bogey-bogey-bogey-bogey-bogey. 

What a cruel sport this is.

UCLA's team score is looking better over time.   They might just end the day in the top 15.   Their first several holes were awful, but after that they really played better than many teams.

Biggest contrast was ASU. Among scoring players, the team was +17 on their first 9. They were collectively +1 on their 2nd 9.

[Spiny_Norman]

I saw a quote from an Arkansas women's golfer alumnus who was not surprised at the high scores. She said the course gets easier with more experience. She said that one practice round would not be enough to figure things out.

Stanford struggled on 12 and 14, going a collective +9 on those two holes (+7 among the low 4 players). 12 and 14 have been the 2 hardest holes for the field today.

As the players start to make the turn, it's worth noting the split nature of the front 9. It includes some of the holes that the field has found the easiest (2, 6, 7, and 8). And 4 of the 6 hardest holes (1, 3, 4 and 9), each of which is playing at least half a stroke over par. Arkansas, the host school, has already posted 5 double bogeys on the front 9.

You want to see Stanford limit the damage on the tough holes and take advantage of the easier ones.

---

UCLA's Yue is not having a great day. No one's doing that well, of course, but after a decent start (two bogeys and four pars in the first six holes), her round has gone triple bogey-double bogey-bogey-bogey-bogey-bogey-bogey-bogey-bogey. 

What a cruel sport this is.

UCLA's team score is looking better over time.   They might just end the day in the top 15.   Their first several holes were awful, but after that they really played better than many teams.

Biggest contrast was ASU. Among scoring players, the team was +17 on their first 9. They were collectively +1 on their 2nd 9.

[oldalum]

We've settled down after hole 14 (maybe easier holes?), now still +7 and currently on holes 2-5. We'll see if we can minimize the damage from the remainder of the front 9.

[oldalum]

We've settled down after hole 14 (maybe easier holes?), now still +7 and currently on holes 2-5. We'll see if we can minimize the damage from the remainder of the front 9.

[Spiny_Norman]

We've settled down after hole 14 (maybe easier holes?), now still +7 and currently on holes 2-5. We'll see if we can minimize the damage from the remainder of the front 9.

You want to avoid big numbers through 5, then try to take advantage of holes 6, 7 and 8. three of the most birdied holes today. Then be careful on number 9. It is a 264 yard par 4. You might think the players would eat up a short par 4. Not this one. Players have to lay up with an iron short of a creek that crosses the fairway, then pitch to a well-protected green. Only 5 birdies all day. The hole is playing nearly 2/3 of a stroke over par.

[Spiny_Norman]

We've settled down after hole 14 (maybe easier holes?), now still +7 and currently on holes 2-5. We'll see if we can minimize the damage from the remainder of the front 9.

You want to avoid big numbers through 5, then try to take advantage of holes 6, 7 and 8. three of the most birdied holes today. Then be careful on number 9. It is a 264 yard par 4. You might think the players would eat up a short par 4. Not this one. Players have to lay up with an iron short of a creek that crosses the fairway, then pitch to a well-protected green. Only 5 birdies all day. The hole is playing nearly 2/3 of a stroke over par.

[BostonCard]

Well we are in first place for the moment.  After playing at +8 through the first three holes (+6 dropping our lowest), we are at +7 since then (over the course of 10+ holes), and since Wang has accounted for 5 of those strokes, we are at +8 as a team.  We have 4-5 holes to play, but we are 10 strokes clear of the 9th place team, 15 strokes from the 15th place team, which is not a bad place to be all things considered.

BC

[BostonCard]

Well we are in first place for the moment.  After playing at +8 through the first three holes (+6 dropping our lowest), we are at +7 since then (over the course of 10+ holes), and since Wang has accounted for 5 of those strokes, we are at +8 as a team.  We have 4-5 holes to play, but we are 10 strokes clear of the 9th place team, 15 strokes from the 15th place team, which is not a bad place to be all things considered.

BC

[oldalum]

You want to avoid big numbers through 5, 

they are following your formula to a T so far! Our counting scores are a combined total of +3 on holes 1-4. Now get some birdies before they tackle 9.

[oldalum]

You want to avoid big numbers through 5, 

they are following your formula to a T so far! Our counting scores are a combined total of +3 on holes 1-4. Now get some birdies before they tackle 9.

[winflop]

This feels a lot like a U.S. Open in that par will be a winning score at the individual level and the teams that scramble the best will be the ones who climb the leaderboard.

[winflop]

This feels a lot like a U.S. Open in that par will be a winning score at the individual level and the teams that scramble the best will be the ones who climb the leaderboard.

[BostonCard]

We now have a three stroke lead over #2.

Of course, with this format, none of it matters too much, as long as we are in the top 8 and move on to match play.  Still, the more strokes we can put between us and the 9th place team, the better.

BC

[BostonCard]

We now have a three stroke lead over #2.

Of course, with this format, none of it matters too much, as long as we are in the top 8 and move on to match play.  Still, the more strokes we can put between us and the 9th place team, the better.

BC

[Spiny_Norman]

Much better than last year when Stanford was in 16th place after Round 1. It was a long, tough slog to get in the top 8 from there.

Speaking of slog, tomorrow's weather may make it a long, tough day for everyone. Forecast is thunderstorms, continuing into the day on Sunday.

Also a reminder that the scores we see on the tracker are not official until after the round is concluded. Texas team score just adjusted down one stroke after final scorecard verification.

[Spiny_Norman]

Much better than last year when Stanford was in 16th place after Round 1. It was a long, tough slog to get in the top 8 from there.

Speaking of slog, tomorrow's weather may make it a long, tough day for everyone. Forecast is thunderstorms, continuing into the day on Sunday.

Also a reminder that the scores we see on the tracker are not official until after the round is concluded. Texas team score just adjusted down one stroke after final scorecard verification.