NCAA postseason is in full swing — JM Eagle LA best moments
By Addie Parker
The IX: Golf Thursday with Addie Parker, May 2, 2024
Happy Golf Thursday! With the LPGA and LET on a mini-hiatus, let’s catch up on what’s happening on the collegiate side of things. May means the drama of NCAA postseason golf and this year just may be the most intriguing yet.
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Conference championships wrapped up last week, and the results were a bit all over the place. Some familiar faces, some teams returned to glory, and others were upset…but hey it’s the post-season, baby!
Stanford led wire to wire in the Pac-12 conference championship, finishing with an eight-stroke victory margin over USC, winning their first conference title in a decade (yes, you read that right).
And though the top-ranked team won in commanding fashion, Catherine Park of USC won the individual title posting a Pac-12 Tournament record 15-under-par, five shots clear of Kelly Xu (Stanford) and the rest of the field.
In the ACC, defending NCAA champs Wake Forest edged Clemson in match-play with Rachel Kuehn leading the way for the Demon Deacons (Kuehn also won the individual title). With the sun setting in Wilmington, play was eventually called due to darkness, with Wake leading in three matches compared to Clemson’s two.
LSU fell short in match play semifinals to Mississippi State, who went on to win their first conference title in program history.
See the full conference results here.
But strap in folks, because things are just starting to get good. We look to regionals, which will take place early next week. At each of the six regional tournaments, the top five teams and the top individual (not on an advancing team) will advance from each regional to the national championship at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, California, May 17-22.
The top-seeded teams at each regional are South Carolina, Wake Forest, LSU, Stanford, USC, and UCLA, aka the top six teams in the country (ranked by Clippd).
Needless to say, the parity amongst these teams will produce some of the best collegiate golf we’ve ever seen, and I have no idea who will prevail.
With players like Rachel Kuehn, Rachel Heck (Stanford), and Ingrid Lindblad (LSU) leaving at the end of the post-season, NCAA women’s golf has also never been more wide open.
It’s easy to assume that rankings mean the most and those are likely to be the teams to beat. But last year we saw Stanford (with a red-hot Rose Zhang) was defeated by USC in the team semi-finals. The title is literally anyone’s for the taking—and it couldn’t be more exciting.
This week in women’s golf
If you have links you wish to share for Golf Thursday, sources for golf news, or want to talk about anything at all, you can email me at addieparker25@theixsports.com ! Discussion of any kind is always welcome…I mean it…MESSAGE ME!
LPGA News
Maja Stark practicing patience; records second runner-up in a row
LET News
A breakdown of women’s golf at the Olympics
Epson Tour News
Featured groups: Casino Del Sol Golf Classic
Five things to know about the Casino Del Sol Golf Classic
Field Breakdown: Casino Del Sol Golf Classic
Two national champions returning to Tucson
NCAA/Amateur News
2024 Arnold Palmer Cup teams have been announced
Other News
Meet the 39-year-old mini-tour player who qualified for her first U.S. Women’s Open in 15 years
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Five at The IX: Best moments from the JM Eagle LA Championship
Hannah Green’s repeat
She missed the cut at Chevron last year and won the very next week, so why not do it again? Hannah Green’s week in the city of angels was picture-perfect.
SPOTTED: The stars were out in Hollywood!
One thing about LA, the fans don’t play when it comes to sports. At any sporting event people (regardless of celeb status) show up and show out—though, it is nice to see a few famous familiar faces in the gallery.
Record-setting moving day at WCC
Saturdays on tour are notorious for shaking up the leaderboard, and we saw tons of movement this past weekend. The most notable came from Jin Hee Im, setting a new 18-hole record for the tournament. Willshire was a birdie-producing machine, and players capitalized on it.
Auston Kim’s ace
Incredible shot…even better celebration! Cheers to your first ace, AK!!!
Take a bow, Grace Kim.
She may not have sealed the deal with a win, but Kim was playing lights-out golf all four days. From displaying an all-out putting clinic to getting herself into the final group on Sunday, the Epson grad is finding her footing and we hope to see more of it as the season shifts into summer mode.
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