Michigan
NCAA Finals, Stroke Play
Borja, Lau Pace Wolverines to 17th Place after Day One of NCAA Finals
5/21/2021 10:14:00 PM | Women's Golf
» Michigan opened its NCAA Finals with a 304 team total and are 17th after 18 holes at Grayhawk Golf Club.
» Ashley Lau and Hailey Borja led U-M with opening 75s (+3), while Monet Chun carded a 76.
» The Maize and Blue played in the 12-team morning wave, starting off the 10th tee.
» U-M will be paired with Arizona and UCLA for a second straight day, starting the second round off the first tee at 12:36 p.m. MST/PDT.
Site: Scottsdale, Ariz.
Tournament: NCAA Finals (Day 1 of 6)
Course: Grayhawk Golf Club (par 72, 6,384 yards)
U-M Team Standing: 17th place of 24 teams (304) after Day 1
Top U-M Individual: Hailey Borja and Ashley Lau, T52nd (75, +3)
Next U-M Round: Saturday, May 22 -- at NCAA Finals - Second Round, 12:36 a.m. MST/PDT (tee times)
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Opening the program's fourth trip to the NCAA Finals, the 24th-ranked University of Michigan women's golf team posted a 304 team total Friday (May 21) and are positioned 17th after the first 18 holes at the Grayhawk Golf Club. The Wolverines were paced by rounds of 75 (+3) from junior Ashley Lau and sophomore Hailey Borja.
The Wolverines are two shots back of the coveted 15th position, which is currently held by Virginia Tech and UCLA, who are tied with a 302 team score. After 54-holes, the top 15 teams will advance to a final round on Monday (May 24) when the top eight teams after 72 holes will move on to match play to play for the national title.
"Today felt like we played two different courses this morning," said U-M head coach Jan Dowling. "For our first several holes, the greens held nicely and the wind was moderate. Then the winds picked up pretty fast, which we expected, but the greens got firmer and fast -- very, very quickly. However, as we have done all season, we stayed patient and poised. That was great to see.
"This is an exciting experience for our team. We plan to make some minor adjustments for tomorrow's round. We can't wait to get back out there."
Opening the championships playing with No. 21 Arizona and UCLA in the morning session off the 10th tee, the Wolverines were paced early by Borja, who used back-to-back birdies on Nos. 13 and 14 to quickly move to two-under through her first six holes. Following the first of five opening round bogeys on the par-3 16th, she made the turn to the front at one-under. Bookending her final nine holes with a pair of bogeys, Borja finished the front four-over as she posted a first-round 75 (+3).
"The course is in beautiful shape," said Borja. "I played here a couple years ago, so I had a good idea about it and felt confident. It was a very different day with the course shifting. The first nine, the greens were very manageable, but when the winds firmed up the greens it was like playing a different course. In a way, it was good to get a feel for the conditions as there is still lots of golf to play. I feel good about my game and I am excited to see what we can do."
After Lau opened her championship with a bogey on the 10th hole, she rattled off five straight pars before back-to-back bogeys (Nos. 16 and 17) had her turn at three-over. A bogey opening the front nine was erased with her first birdie of the day on the par-5 fourth hole. A second birdie on the second front side par-5 (No. 7) eliminated her bogey on the sixth hole as she equaled Borja's 75.
"The course played tough, especially the greens," said Lau. "As the winds picked up, it got harder, but this is championship golf. The only thing we could do is to stay patient out there today. It started to get hot towards the end of the round, so staying hydrated is one of the things we will prioritize tomorrow."
Big Ten Freshman of the Year Monet Chun erased an opening double-bogey, matching Borja's birdies on 13 and 14 before a birdie on the par-3 16th had her turn at one-over. After six pars and three bogeys, she closed with a 76. Rounding out the Wolverine starting five, senior Ashley Kim and sophomore Mikaela Schulz carded opening 78s, helping U-M to the 304 opening team tally.
U-M will play a second straight day with Arizona and UCLA on Saturday (May 22) off the first tee at 12:36 p.m. MST/PDT (3:36 p.m. EDT) for the second round.
Team Standings (After Day 1 of 6)
1. Texas 289 (+1) 2. Oregon 290 3. Stanford 291 4. Arizona 292 Kent State 292 Duke 292 Wake Forest 292 8. LSU 296 Ole Miss 296 10. Oklahoma State 297 11. Florida State 298 12. Kentucky 299 13. Arizona State 300 14. Michigan State 301 15. Virginia Tech 302 UCLA 302 17. MICHIGAN 304 18. Auburn 305 19. Maryland 306 20. USC 307 Georgia 307 22. Baylor 308 Alabama 308 24. South Carolina 312
Top Individuals
1. Rachel Heck, Stanford 69 (-3) 2. Kaitlyn Papp, Texas 70 3. Briana Chacon, Oregon 71 Elodie Chapelet, Baylor 71 5. Caley McGinty, Kent State 72 Emma Spitz, UCLA 72 Emily Price, Kent State 72 Hsin-Yu Lu, Oregon 72 Valery Plata, Michigan State 72 Agathe Laisne, Texas 72 Siyun Liu, Wake Forest 72 Jaravee Boonchant, Duke 72 Sadie Englemann, Stanford 72 Laney Frye, Kentucky 72 Maddison Hinson-Tolchard, Oklahoma State 72 Paula Kirner, South Carolina 72 Gile Bite, Starkute Arizona 72 Beth Lillie, Virginia 72*
Michigan Individuals
T52. Hailey Borja 75 T52. Ashley Lau 75 T74. Monet Chun 76 T96. Ashley Kim 78 T96. Mikaela Schulz 78 *playing as individual
