The Kent State University Women’s Golf Team arrived in Sugar Grove, Illinois with one goal in mind: to bring home the 2017 NCAA National Championship.
The Golden Flashes are set to compete starting today at Rich Harvest Farms. The tournament format includes 24 teams competing over the first three rounds of stroke play from Friday to Sunday. The field is reduced to 15 teams for the final round of stroke play Monday, after which the NCAA will crown an individual medalist.
On Tuesday, the top eight teams will compete in match play quarter and semifinals. Finally, the remaining two teams will compete Wednesday for the NCAA National Championship.
The Golf Channel will broadcast the final three days of competition.
LIVE SCORING: 2017 WOMEN’S NCAA GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP >
All 24 teams in the field competed last week in four separate regional tournaments. Every team finished in the top-6 to earn their spot in the final dance. The field is highlighted by the top-3 teams in the country: No. 1 Stanford, No. 2 Alabama and No. 3 Florida. The rest of the field is as follows:
No. 1 Stanford
No. 2 Alabama
No. 3 Florida
No. 5 Florida State
No. 6 USC
No. 7 Arizona State
No. 8 Duke
No. 9 Furman
No. 11 South Carolina
No. 12 Northwestern
No. 13 Miami
No. 14 Kent State
No. 16 Texas
No. 17 Baylor
No. 21 California
No. 24 Purdue
No. 25 Ohio State
No. 28 Michigan
No. 30 Texas Tech
No. 31 Pepperdine
No. 35 North Carolina
No. 37 Clemson
No. 38 Oregon
No. 44 Michigan State
The Flashes will bring their same five from the regional tournament in Wad Phaewchimplee, Michaela Finn (pictured above with coach Greg Robertson), Kelly Nielsen, Pimnipa Panthong and Karoline Stormo. Four out the of five golfers have yet to experience a NCAA National Championship. However, the lineup is stacked with talent and features three of the top 120 golfers in the country. Panthong stands out as the team’s ace, ranking 15th in the nation and recently being named to the watch list for WGCA Freshman of the Year.
Together, the group has put together the best statistical season in program history. The team’s scoring average of 289.58, 2.25-over par, is the program’s best mark. Panthong, Phaewchimplee and Finn’s scoring averages are among the four best individually, with Panthong currently averaging one of the 20 best season scores in NCAA history at 71.06.
This will be the fifth appearance at the NCAA National Championship for the women’s golf team and the first since 2010. Kent State’s best finish at Nationals came in 2001, when the Flashes finished 15th overall.
Live scoring will be available throughout the tournament, while the Golf Channel will pick up the action in round four.
LIVE SCORING: 2017 WOMEN’S NCAA GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP >
Story courtesy of the Kent State Athletic Department
