The University of Colorado women’s golf team didn’t win a team or individual title Wednesday at the Pac-12 Conference Championships at Boulder Country Club, but the Buffs nevertheless celebrated behind the 18th green — and had plenty of legitimate reasons to do so.
After all, the tournament hosts:
— Beat the No. 1-ranked team in the country, according to Golfstat, by outdueling Southern California in a head-to-head matchup on Wednesday.
— One of their players, junior Alexis Keating, matched the low score in the 21-year history of the CU program as she fired a 5-under-par 66 on Wednesday. (Jessica Wallace, 2011, and Emily Talley, 2012, shot 6-under-par 66s on par-72 layouts.) Keating (pictured above being hugged), who tied for fifth individually, recorded the best 54-hole conference championship score ever by a CU player (3-under-par 210).
— Posted their best finish in their four years at the Pac-12 Championships, placing fifth. That may not sound like much, but when you consider the conference currently has six teams in the nation’s top 20, that’s pretty stout. And for the record, the No. 39 Buffs beat four teams ranked ahead of them: No. 1 USC, No. 16 Stanford, No. 18 Arizona State and No. 36 Cal.
— Put a CU player on the All-Pac-12 first team for the first time as sophomore Esther Lee (left) earned the honor after placing 12th Wednesday.
“Today in general was just amazing,” Keating said after her seven-birdie round. “It was so special. I think this is where we’re supposed to be. I think we’re surprising people, which makes it a lot of fun. I’m so proud of my team. I can’t even put it into words.”
Added CU coach Anne Kelly: “This is what college sports is all about.”
Arizona, ranked sixth in the nation, captured the Pac-12 team championship, giving the Wildcats three tournament titles in their last four events. They posted a 1-over-par 853 total, good for a five-stroke victory over No. 28 Oregon. No. 7 Washington (861) was third and No. 3 UCLA (862) fourth.
Colorado, hosting its first conference championships since 1999, used its home-course advantage to close with a 1-under-par 283, the best single-round CU score in conference championship history. That gave the Buffs 868 for three days, their best postseason total ever. CU started the day even with No. 1 USC, but was eight strokes better than the Trojans while playing in the same groups on Wednesday.
“The Pac-12 is an extremely difficult conference,” Lee said. “Every team, every school, is so good. This feels kind of like a breakthrough for us. Maybe now we’ll finally realize that we can compete with the best.”
This week at Boulder Country Club, Oregon junior Caroline Inglis (left) was the best out of a stellar field that featured two of the world’s top 10-ranked women’s amateurs. Inglis recorded the first individual victory of her college career, and her 206 score was the best overall in Pac-12 Championships history, though not in relation to par. She became the first individual or team Pac-12 champion Oregon has produced.
“It’s awesome, really surreal,” said Inglis, who called it her top golf accomplishment. “I’m kind of speechless right now. The Pac-12s have such a great field. The are so many good players and so much good competition. That’s the part that makes it really special. I know I can stack up against them now.”
Inglis won despite a double bogey on No. 17, where she pulled her tee shot into the water and hit her approach over the green. But with her lead down to two, she nestled a chip shot on No. 18 to within a foot of the cup for a par to close with a 4-under 67.
UCLA’s Bronte Law, the 2014 English Women’s Amateur champion, and Arizona’s Lindsey Weaver tied for second place at 208. It was Weaver’s second consecutive runner-up finish at the Pac-12 meet. Noemi Jimenez of Arizona State, like Law ranked in the top 10 in the world among women’s amateurs, took fourth at 209.
Meanwhile, CU’s Keating shot the low round of her college career — by three strokes. She racked up seven birdies on the day, including ones on each of the last two holes. According to Boulder Country Club director of golf Kevin Bolles, she briefly held the women’s course record with her 66. Arizona’s Wanasa Zhou, playing just three groups behind Keating, proceeded to make the women’s course record her own with a bogey-free 6-under-par 65.
“It’s unbelievable,” Keating said of her day. “I can’t even explain the feelings I’m feeling right now. It’s so exciting to share this with my team and have them come and hug me after my last putt. It’s amazing, and having it be at one of our home courses makes it even that much more special.”
Noted Kelly about Keating: “She’s been so close all semester. I keep saying she’s hitting it like a tour pro, and she really is. For those birdies to finally convert for her is great. She kept knocking on the door and it finally opened for her. And her dad was watching. I’m thrilled for her.”
Lee, who had recorded five consecutive top-10 finishes, placed 12th on Wednesday at 215. CU teammate Brittany Fan (219) was 21st, Natalie Vivaldi (226) 38th, and Jamie Oleksiew (235) 51st.
CU will now wait for Monday’s announcement of the fields for the four NCAA regional tournaments. Arizona gained an automatic berth on Wednesday with its Pac-12 title, but the Buffs should have no problem earning an at-large spot.
For all the team and individual scores from the Pac-12 meet, CLICK HERE.
Here are the local scores for the various conference tournaments that concluded on Wednesday.
Pac-12 Women
April 20-22, 2015 (final) at Par-71 Boulder CC
5. (out of 11 teams) Colorado 296-289-283–868
5. Alexis Keating 72-72-66–210; 12. Esther Lee 76-68-71–215; 21. Brittany Fan 73-75-71–219; 38. Natalie Vivaldi 75-76-75–226; 51. Jamie Oleksiew 79-74-82–235.
Summit League Women
April 20-22, 2015 (final) in Seaside, Calif.
1. (out of 9 teams; won by 18) Denver 307-312-307–926
1. (won by 2) Elyse Smidinger 77-75-75–227; 3. Jessica Carty 74-82-75–231; 8. Isabel Southard 79-79-80–238; 8. Aleana Groenhout 83-78-77–238; 14. Mariell Bruun 77-80-84–241.
Mountain West Women
April 20-22, 2015 (final) in Rancho Mirage, Calif.
6. (out of 9 teams) Colorado State 304-299-310–913
8. Allie Andersen 74-72-76–222; 11. Mikayla Tatman 75-75-74–224; 31. Elisabeth Rau 82-74-78–234; 39. Sarah Archuleta 78-81-82–241; 39. Jessa LaBarbera 77-78-86–241.
Also
14. Former Coloradan Paige Spiranac, San Diego State, 72-77-76–225; 29. Coloradan Samantha Stancato, Wyoming, 75-84-74–233; 43. Coloradan Taylor Dorans, Wyoming, 77-84-82–243.
