The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia women nearly pull off upset of No. 1 Stanford
The University of Georgia women’s golf team nearly pulled the upset of the season Tuesday.
The Bulldogs, ranked No. 24, pushed No. 1 Stanford to the limit before losing 3-2 in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Women’s Championships in Scottsdale, Ariz. Georgia advanced to match play as the No. 8 seed after stroke play and had to face the top-ranked Cardinal, led by NCAA individual champion Rachel Heck and Rose Zhang, winner of the ANNIKA Award given to the best college player in the nation.
But Georgia’s Candice Mahe beat Zhang 1 up, and Heck had to hold off Georgia’s Jenny Bae 2 and 1. Bae made a birdie on the 17th hole to keep the match alive. Georgia’s Caterina Don beat Sadie Englemann 3 and 1, leaving the Bulldogs needing one more point.
The Bulldogs were unable to win the other two matches. Stanford’s Aline Krauter beat freshman Loralie Cowart 2 and 1, who fought back from being 3 down through 15, and Stanford’s Brooke Seay defeated Jo Hua Hung 3 and 2.
It’s the second consecutive year the Bulldogs have gotten hot at the right time. Last season they won the Columbus Regional by 15 shots to reach the NCAA Championships and finished 18th. This spring they finished third at the Albuquerque Regional and were among the 24 teams that qualified.
Georgia finished eighth in the 72-hole stroke-play portion of the championships and reached match play for the first time since the format was changed in 2015.
The Bulldogs shot a 2-over 290 team score on the final day to best Arizona State by two shots and USC by three shots to clinch the final spot in match play. Bae, who shot 67 in the third round, and Mahe, who closed with a 68, tied for sixth overall at 1-over 289.