Michigan
NCAA Finals, Stroke Play
Borja Advances, Wolverines Finish 20th at NCAA Finals
5/23/2021 11:09:00 PM | Women's Golf
» Michigan posted a 303 third-round team total to post a 903 54-hole total and finished 20th at the NCAA Finals.
» With a 218 (+2) total, Hailey Borja (75-71-72) tied for 16th and advanced as an individual to Monday's final round.
» Borja becomes the first Wolverine to advance to the fourth round at the NCAA Finals.
Site: Scottsdale, Ariz.
Tournament: NCAA Finals (Day 3 of 3)
Course: Grayhawk Golf Club (par 72, 6,384 yards)
U-M Team Standing: 20th place of 24 teams (304-296-303/903)
Top U-M Individual: Hailey Borja, tie-16th (75-71-72/218, +2)
Next U-M Round: Monday, May 24 -- at NCAA Finals - Final Round, 11:17 a.m. MST/PDT (tee times)
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Closing with a 303 team total, the 23rd-ranked University of Michigan women's golf team tallied a 903 54-hole total to close 20th on Sunday (May 23) at the NCAA Finals. Despite not advancing as a team, sophomore Hailey Borja's third-round 72 (E) helped her post a 218 (+2) total and advanced as an individual to the final round of stroke play on Monday (May 24), starting off the first tee at 11:17 a.m. MST/PDT at the Grayhawk Golf Club.
Opening the program's fourth trip to the NCAA Finals on Friday morning, U-M battled gusty winds over the second half of its first round. With the greens firming up, the Wolverines used 75s from Borja and junior Ashley Lau to put a 304 total on the board and position themselves 17th after day one.
A second day of winds gusting to as high as 30 mph, a 71 (-1) from Borja and an even-par 72 from senior Ashley Kim in Saturday's second round helped the Michigan drop eight shots from the previous day and tally a 296, moving U-M up three spots into a tie for 14th (600). It also put the Wolverines in contention to make the top-15 first team cut.
With two birdies, Lau played her first nine holes of the today's third round at two under par, while Borja followed with two birdies of her own and sit at one-under as the Wolverines reached the turn. Hovering at the cut line, and despite two additional birdies from Lau and Borja, the Maize and Blue closed 10 over par to fall six spots and finish 20th.
"We picked the wrong day to have the round we did as a team," said U-M head coach Jan Dowling. "However, it definitely doesn't take away from our year, the incredible experiences we gained competing on the highest stage of college golf and playing for a national championship.
"This team is one of the best in the nation and one for our own record book. We have the exact same team returning, and our plan is to keep elevating our program by getting better this summer and into the fall. We're going to just keep learning and growing. Mandi (Unruh) and I are extremely proud of this group. They are tremendous young women."
Tying for 16th, Borja became the first Wolverine to advance to the final round of stroke play since the format of the finals was altered to a stroke play/match play format. The last time the Wolverines played a 72-hole event in the NCAA's was in 2002.
"Hailey (Borja) took her focus and preparation to a new level these past few months," said Dowling. "She's been eying this event since our spring started, and she led the way for our team this week. It's a difficult course, and her great ball striking simply shined. She's worked hard on her short game all spring and kept her momentum going all week. She got comfortable out here quickly and we are excited to see her compete in the final round."
"I, of course, was hoping we could continue as a team, but I am grateful to advance as an individual," said Borja. "I have confidence with my game and trust my feel. Tomorrow, I will be going out with that same focus and just like I have many times, be patient. That is the key at this course. What will make it special will be having my team supporting me along the way. I am so proud of them. We put in the work and it showed. We have no reason to hang our heads."
Closing her season with her team-best ninth sub-par round (71, -1), Lau rallied to produce a 223 (75-77-71) and tie for 53rd. Kim posted a top-100 finish, tying for 97th at 230 (78-72-80), while sophomore Mikaela Schulz tied for 114th at 234 (78-76-80) and freshman Monet Chun was 125th at 240 (76-81-83).
With 18 holes remaining in the 2020-21 season, the Wolverines posted top-five team finishes in all five regular-season events and extended that streak to six tying the program's top finish (T2nd) at the Big Ten Championship. U-M moved on to its 14th NCAA regional appearance and advanced to the program's fourth trip to the NCAA Finals. The Maize and Blue will return its entire lineup next season.
Team Standings (After Day 3 of 6)
1. Stanford 291-278-277 = 846 (-18) 2. Duke 292-281-293 = 866 3. Oklahoma State 297-289-282 = 868 4. Texas 289-288-293 = 870 5. Ole Miss 296-291-288 = 875 6. Arizona State 300-291-286 = 877 7. Wake Forest 292-293-295 = 880 8. Florida State 298-285-298 = 881 9. Arizona 292-298-292 = 882 10. Oregon 290-300-293 = 883 11. LSU 296-292-296 = 884 12. South Carolina 312-288-287 = 887 13. Baylor 308-293-290 = 891 14. Auburn 305-299-288 = 892 15. UCLA 302-293-300 = 895 16. Michigan State 301-294-303 = 898 17. Kent State 292-310-297 = 899 18. Georgia 307-295-300 = 902 Kentucky 299-307-296 = 902 20. MICHIGAN 304-296-303 = 903 21. Virginia Tech 302-304-306 = 906 Maryland 306-297-303 = 906 23. USC 307-300-300 = 907 24. Alabama 308-310-298 = 916
Top Individuals
1. Rachel Heck, Stanford 69-67-70 = 206 (-10) 2. Angelina Ye, Stanford 77-69-65 = 211 3. Gina Kim, Duke 74-67-72 = 213 Ashley Menne, Arizona State 76-72-65 = 213 Emma Spitz, UCLA 72-70-71 = 213 6. Brooke Seay, Stanford 75-71-69 = 215 Phoebe Brinker, Duke 73-70-72 = 215 Maja Stark, Oklahoma State 78-69-68 = 215 Julia Johnson, Ole Miss 73-71-71 = 215 10. Sara Kouskova, Texas 74-70-72 = 216 Briana Chacon, Oregon 71-72-73 = 216 Lauren Hartlage, Louisville 73-68-75 = 216*
Michigan Individuals
T16. Hailey Borja 75-71-72 = 218 (+2) T53. Ashley Lau 75-77-71 = 223 T97. Ashley Kim 78-72-80 = 230 T114. Mikaela Schulz 78-76-80 = 234 125. Monet Chun 76-81-83 = 240 *playing as individual
