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SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — A tough desert course was made tougher for the NCAAs. Add in a healthy dose of afternoon wind and Grayhawk Golf Club played like a beast on Friday in the opening round of the women’s national championship.
Most of the teams near the top of the leaderboard after Day 1 were those who played in the calmer morning conditions. Texas, which leads at 1 over, was among those who teed off at 6:30 a.m. local time. Oregon also started at 6:30 a.m. and posted a +2 round.
On the individual leaderboard, Rachel Heck, ranked No. 1 in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings and fresh off medalist honors at the Pac-12 championships, shot the round of the day with a 3-under 69, the only player to break 70 and one of only four golfers to break par. She did that in the tough afternoon wind and with a thick, black brace on her right ankle.
“It was really dumb. I hurt my ankle playing basketball,” Heck said after her round. “But it’s fine. It was actually over Christmas, but yea, it’s fine. Just a bad sprain.”
It’s Heck’s 11th straight round in the 60s.
Thunderbird alums dot field
Kaitlyn Papp is second after shooting a 2-under 70. Oregon’s Briana Chacon sits in a tie for third at 1 under. Like Heck, Papp and Chacon and many others in the field are familiar with Grayhawk having played it a few times as juniors. The Raptor Course is home to the AJGA Thunderbird, one of the elite junior golf events every year which often attracts an international field.
“I think it plays very similar to the AJGA Thunderbird as far as the firm greens and it has a tendency to get windy out here,” said Papp, “It’s always hot, it’s desert golf. Brings back memories.”
“I know a lot of girls here played it,” said Heck. “It’s really cool to be back, we’re all in college now. It’s kind of nostalgic being back.”
Deep hole
South Carolina, the top-ranked team in women’s golf by Golfweek/Sagarin, seems to like to flirt with trouble.
The Gamecocks only escaped regionals by outlasting Arkansas in a playoff. Now, they find themselves dead last in the field of 24 after shooting 24 over. Paula Kirner had a 72 to lead South Carolina but Ana Pelaez shot a 76, Pauline Roussin-Bouchard shot an 81 while Mathilde Claisse had an 83.
Campus inspiration
The Arizona Wildcats shot 4 over to open their week and head coach Laura Ianello has her squad in a good spot after 18 holes, tied with Duke, Kent State and Wake Forest.
The Wildcats, whose campus is about 130 miles to the south, aren’t that familiar with Grayhawk.
“The first time we played it was April 29th, the day before the last day we could play. In the three weeks since we were here, it has changed tremendously,” she said, noting the thicker rough and slicker greens.
Ianello also said her Wildcats have been inspired by the recent run of the Arizona women’s basketball team, led by head coach Adia Barnes, which lost by one point to Stanford in the national title game, while energizing sports fans in Tucson along the way.
“Oh yea. Adia, her women’s team coming through COVID, with what they’ve gone through, the adversity this year and making it to the finals and of course, sadly, losing to Stanford,” Ianello said. “It was just so motivational for my team and my ladies. They’re good friends with a lot of the basketball players and they’re all so happy that they’re competing and so why not just compete for the championship.”
Home-team jitters
“I think my team felt that a little bit today,” ASU head coach Missy Farr-Kaye said when asked if her players felt any extra pressure being the host. “We had a lot of people on the first tee. We’re not used to that, and we had a lot of fans out, which is awesome. I think there’s a little bit of adjusting to that and being in the limelight with that.
“I keep telling them embrace it. Embrace that energy and that vibe of being home and seeing what we can do with it.”
The Sun Devils are going to have to do something with it starting Friday, as they are in 13th place at 12 over, four shots out of one of the coveted top eight spots.
“You have to grind,” said ASU fifth-year senior Olivia Mehaffey. “You have to fight for every single shot. You have to get through into the top 8 and then re-set and start again. It doesn’t matter where you’re seeded. I just told the girls, ‘We’re going to fight for every shot.'”
She added that the pressure of being the home team is nice.
“I think our girls quite like it. It’s nice having a lot of support out there.”
The top 10 teams
After the first round
Texas, 1 over
Oregon, 2 over
Stanford, 3 over
Arizona, 4 over
Kent State, 4 over
Duke, 4 over
Wake Forest, 4 over
LSU, 8 over
Ole Miss, 8 over
Oklahoma State, 9 over
Up next
The second round starts Saturday at 6:30 a.m. local time. Teams that played early on Friday will have later tee times Saturday; those who played late in the first round will get those early tee times in Round 2. On Sunday, tee times will be determined based on scoring.
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