W. Golf Ready For NCAA Championship
CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL | STACY LEWIS GIVES ADVICE | SHAUNA ESTES-TAYLOR
BRADENTON, Fla. – The eighth-ranked University of Arkansas women’s golf team is through the practice round and ready to play at the 2015 NCAA Championship in Bradenton, Fla., at the Concession Golf Club this week.
The Razorbacks are coming off a program-best third place finish at the NCAA Regional in St. George, Utah, in which junior Gabriela Lopez and freshman Alana Uriell tied for second, also program highs.
With the finish, the Razorbacks move on to the NCAA Championship this week, May 22-27. They will face a tough field, challenging golf course and a format change for this year’s event.
The field includes the top 14 teams from the latest Golfstat.com national rankings highlighted by No. 1 South California, No. 2 South Carolina, No. 3 UCLA, No. 4 Duke and No. 5 Arizona leading the nation.
The Razorbacks, who have been in the top 10 all season, are paced by junior Gabriela Lopez. The junior from Mexico City, Mexico, enters the NCAA Championship ranked fifth in the nation among amateur women. Countrywoman Regina Plasencia is ranked No. 83. Plasencia qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open earlier in the week.
Sophomores Summar Roachell and Samantha Marks round out the Razorback lineup.
Concession Golf Club is hosting both the men’s and women’s NCAA Championship, the first time in history that both championships take place at the same location.
This year, the format changes from a four-day stroke play event, to more closely match the men’s format. This year, teams will play four rounds of stroke play with a cut after three rounds. This determines the individual champion. Then the top eight teams move on to match play with the team winner crowned after play is complete.
Stroke play begins Friday with the Razorbacks paired with Washington and Texas A&M. Teams will begin at 6:30 a.m, central from the 10th tee for the first round.
The Field
No. 1 Southern California, No. 2 South Carolina, No. 3 UCLA, No. 4 Duke, No. 5 Arizona, No. 6 LSU, No. 7 Washington, No. 8 Arkansas, No. 9 Texas A&M, No. 10 Virginia, No. 11 Wake Forest, No. 12 Tennessee, No. 13 Stanford, No. 14 Northwestern, No. 18 Baylor, No. 19 UNLV, No. 22 UC-Davis, No. 23 Tulane, No. 24 Alabama, No. 27 Texas Tech, No. 31 Purdue, No. 34 California, No. 39 North Carolina State, No. 46 Campbell.
@RazorbackWGolf Lineup
Gabriela Lopez 71.79
Regina Plasencia 73.57
Samantha Marks 74.36
Summar Roachell 74.57
Alana Uriell 74.93
Television Coverage
Golf Channel NCAA Women’s Division I Golf Championships Tournament Coverage
Monday, May 25 Final Round, Individual Stroke Play 4-7 p.m. ET (Live)
Tuesday, May 26 Quarterfinals, Match Play 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. ET (Live)
Tuesday, May 26 Semifinals, Match Play 3:30-7 p.m. ET (Live)
Wednesday, May 27 Finals, Match Play 3-7 p.m. ET (Live)
Stats Link: Women’s Golf Championship Live Stats Link: http://www.ncaa.com/2015-di-womens-golf-championships-team-leaderboard
