FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Blessings Golf Club delivered the opening punch at the NCAA Division I Women’s Championship with a first-round scoring average of nearly 80.
Now, players are beginning to fight back.
Duke shot 11-under 281 in a second round that spanned two days because of inclement weather Saturday and grabbed a nine-shot lead entering the third – and final – round of stroke play. The Blue Devils, the third-ranked team in the country, didn’t have a player break 2-over 75 on Thursday, but they got off to a hot start Saturday morning and carried the momentum over into Sunday. Duke’s throw-out score in Round 2 was a 1-under 72 by Miranda Wang that included just two bogeys.
“I think that we’re all more familiar with the course,” said Duke junior Ana Belac, who at 1 under is one of three Blue Devils in the top 10 individually. “It’s been playing really tough, so having another round under your belt and knowing where to hit your shots means a lot.”
The comfort level with Blessings is certainly improving for competitors, but the behemoth of a golf course had some teeth pulled after Thursday’s opening round. The yardage was reduced from 6,411 yards to 6,333 for the second round, and the hole locations were less severe.
For example, the par-4 ninth was shortened from 324 yards (with a difficult front pin) to 264, and it went from playing as the fourth toughest hole to the third easiest.
“I think the takeaway from it is to realize that a little bit of adjustment on the course here and there can make a huge difference,” Duke coach Dan Brooks said. “We’ve seen the courses in the NCAA Championship run a score way up, and it may not take much to make it a very different situation. You move the tees up to the front of the tee box instead of the back, and you set the pins on certain holes a little more forgiving and you can change the scoring completely.”
The scoring average for the second round was 76.23, more than 3 ½ shots easier. Florida junior Sierra Brooks shot 6-under 67 to vault into the individual lead at 4 under, a shot clear of Arkansas senior Maria Fassi (71) and first-round leader Bianca Pagdanganan (74) of Arizona.
Three players shot in the 60s in Round 2, including Texas’ Hailee Cooper, who carded an opening 80.
Top-ranked USC also shot under par in its second round, shooting 3 under to move to second at 11 over. Second-ranked Texas is third at 12 over and No. 4 Arizona shares fourth with host Arkansas at 14 over.
Blessings’ opening barrage may have already knocked out some teams. But others are beginning to take advantage and the best will find themselves in match play by Monday evening.