Hoos Advance to Match Play at NCAA Championships

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May 23, 2016

Eugene, Ore. – The 15th ranked Virginia women’s golf team finished fifth in medal play at the NCAA Championships with a 72-hole score of 3-over 1155. The Cavaliers are one of eight teams advancing to the match play portion of the tournament that decides the team champion at the Eugene (Ore.) Country Club.

The Cavaliers will face 13th-ranked Washington in Tuesday’s quarterfinal round of match play. The Huskies placed fourth overall at even par 1152. The winner of their match will advance to the semifinals to be contested Tuesday afternoon. The match play final is scheduled for Wednesday.

UCLA finished medal play in first place at 8-under 1144. The other teams to advance to match play were Stanford (-5, 1147), USC (-2, 1150), Washington (E, 1152), Duke (+6, 1158), South Carolina (+10, 1162) and Oregon (+14, 1166).

ACC individual champion Lauren Coughlin (Chesapeake, Va.) posted a 76 during the final round and was UVA’s top overall finisher in 16th place at even par 288. Her score tied as the second best 72-hole NCAA total in UVA history. Her finish tied as the sixth best by a Cavalier.

UVA junior Lauren Diaz-Yi (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) shot 2-under 70 for the second straight day and placed 32nd at 3-over 291. Senior Elizabeth Szokol also shot 70 and finished 20th at 289.

Virginia was led in the final round by freshman Morgan Gonzales (Chandler, Ariz.). She matched her career low round by shooting 3-under 69. She started her round with a birdie and then posted three more on her sixth, seventh and eighth holes to make the turn at 3-under par. She played her final nine holes at even par to finish 53rd overall at 7-over 295.

Freshman Anna Redding (Concord, N.C.) shot 1-over 73 to be UVA’s fourth counter during the final round. She was 53rd at 295.

Virginia’s 72-hole total smashed its previous best four-round total at the NCAA Championships. That score was +23, 1175 from its fourth-place finish at the 2012 tournament at Vanderbilt.

The Cavaliers’ final round score of 6-under 282 was its lowest 18-hole score posted in NCAA play. It matched the team’s best single-round score of the season. UVA’s previous low NCAA single-round score was a 1-under 279 at the 2014 tournament in Tulsa, Okla.

Duke freshman Virginia Elena Carta ran away with the individual title. She finished at 16-under 272, which set and NCAA Championship record for score against par. It was the first win of her collegiate career.

UVA’s finish was its best since back-to-back fourth place finishes at the 2011 and 2012 NCAA Championships. The tournament format those years did not include match play.

This is the second year the NCAA has used a match play format to decide its team champion. Stanford defeated Baylor in last year’s tournament.

The Golf Channel will carry live coverage of Tuesday’s match play. The quarterfinals will be broadcast live from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. ET. The semifinals will be carried live from 6:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Match Play Schedule – Tuesday, May 24 (all times ET)
Quarterfinals
No. 2. Stanford vs. No. 7 South Carolina – 10 a.m. (1st tee)
No. 3 USC vs. No. 6 Duke – 10 a.m. (10th tee)
No. 1 UCLA vs. No. 8 Oregon – 10:50 a.m. (1st tee)
No. 4 Washington vs. No. 5 Virginia – 10:50 a.m. (10th tee)

Semifinals
2/7 winner vs. 3/6 winner – 4:30 p.m.
1/8 winner vs. 4/5 winner – 5:20 p.m.

NCAA Championships
Eugene Country Club
Eugene, Ore.
Par-72, 6,331 yards
Fourth Round Results

Team Results  1. UCLA            286-291-285-282-1144 2. Stanford        295-283-290-279-1147 3. USC             289-280-291-290-1150 4. Washington      289-285-292-286-1152 5. Virginia        293-294-286-282-1155 6. Duke            299-283-280-296-1158 7. South Carolina  293-289-290-290-1162 8. Oregon          297-282-291-296-1166Top 8 teams advance to match play 9. Arizona         291-289-293-294-1167 9. Northwestern    292-289-295-291-116711. Oklahoma State  284-295-297-292-116812. Arkansas        292-291-298-292-117312. Alabama         300-292-290-291-117314. North Carolina  298-292-291-294-117515. Florida State   295-290-298-293-1176
Individual Leaders1. Virginia Elena Carta, Duke   69-68-66-69-2722. Dewi Weber, Miami            69-66-74-71-2803. Haley Moore, Arizona         68-70-74-68-280
Virginia Results16. Lauren Coughlin   72-72-68-76-28820. Elizabeth Szokol  75-70-74-70-28932. Lauren Diaz-Yi    74-77-70-70-29153. Morgan Gonzales      74-77-75-69-29553. Anna Redding      73-75-74-73-295="http:>="http:>="http:>="http:>="http:>