Arizona wins a national title on Haley Moore’s birdie putt
STILLWATER — It was a 30-foot putt that saved Arizona’s life, and a 4-footer that made the Wildcats national champions.
Arizona junior Haley Moore rolled in a short birdie putt on the first extra hole of her match against Alabama’s Lakareber Abe — who had missed a similar putt moments earlier — on the 18th green Wednesday at Karsten Creek Golf Club to set off the victory celebration at the NCAA women’s golf championships.
Arizona was one shot away from missing the cut for the match play bracket on Monday night. Bianca Pagdanganan made the 30-foot eagle putt that carried the Wildcats to a playoff with Baylor.
They won the playoff, then upset top-seeded UCLA in the match play quarterfinals, and sent home fifth-seeded Stanford in the semifinals.
“I told them if they were ever in a low point today, I want you guys to think about that eagle putt, and how that has gotten us to this point,” Arizona coach Laura Ianello said. “If you feel like you’re battling and you’re not playing your best game out there, just think about it. Think about something you did really good yesterday.
“That has carried us. That eagle putt has carried us all the way here.”
Arizona became the first
No. 8 seed in the match play field to win the national title in either men’s or women’s Division I golf. With the teams splitting the first four matches, it came down to Moore in the fifth spot for Arizona. A player who shows her emotion — good and bad — on the course, she battled through an upand-down match against Abe. Moore took a 2-up advantage after a birdie on the eighth hole, but four holes later, Abe went up by one hole.
Moore regained a 1-up advantage heading to the par-5 No. 18, but Abe was able to make a birdie and force an extra hole.
Going back to the 18th tee, both players hit good tee shots, but found trouble around the green. Abe hit a bunker shot that nearly went in, but rolled about 4 feet past the hole.
Moore’s chip from the left rough rolled just inches closer than Abe’s ball, on a similar line. After Abe missed her putt, Moore rolled hers in to give Arizona its third national championship in program history.
“I was definitely more nervous,” Moore said of her final putt. “But I just got over the ball, hit it and it went in the hole.
“It’s just amazing how this whole team, we came together this spring with two amazing coaches helping us improve our games. To get here is truly magical.”
Ianello won a national championship with Arizona as a player, and was thrilled to bring the trophy back to her school as a coach.
“I’m not gonna lie, this one’s a little bit more special to me,” she said. “It’s what you work for. It’s what you want. Being a coach and trying to live through your players a little bit, it’s spectacular to win it on this end.”