Michigan
NCAA Finals
Lau, Borja Pace Wolverines on First Day of NCAA Finals
5/20/2022 10:20:00 PM | Women's Golf
» With a 301 team total, No. 20 Michigan is tied for 12th after the first day of the NCAA Finals.
» With three birdies apiece, Ashley Lau and Hailey Borja each carded even 72s and are tied for sixth.
» Borja's 72 (E) first-round total gives her four straight rounds of par-or-better at the Grayhawk Golf Club.
» U-M will play in the afternoon wave for the second round (12:36 MST), again playing with TCU and Georgia.
Site: Scottsdale, Arizona
Course: Grayhawk Golf Club (Par 72, 6,340 yards)
Tournament: NCAA Finals (Day 1 of 4)
U-M Team Standing: T-12th Place of 24 Teams (301) after Day 1
Top U-M Individual: Ashley Lau & Hailey Borja, tie-6th (72, E)
Next U-M Round: Saturday, May 21 -- NCAA Finals Second Round (Scottsdale, Ariz.), 12:36 p.m. MST (No. 1 tee)
• Results (PDF) | Photo Gallery
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- With even-par 72s by senior Ashley Lau and junior Hailey Borja, the 20th-ranked University of Michigan women's golf team opened its NCAA Finals tallying a 301 first-round total today (Friday, May 20) in the morning wave at the Grayhawk Golf Club. As the 24-team field closed the day, the Wolverines positioned themselves tied for 12th along with No. 4 Wake Forest, No. 16 Baylor and No. 45 Purdue.
The Wolverines are among the coveted 15th position to advance. After 54-holes, the top 15 teams advance to a final round on Monday (May 24), where the top eight teams move on to match play for a chance to capture the national title. Top-ranked Stanford leads after the first 18 holes with a 289 (+1) total.
Starting its second straight NCAA Finals in the morning wave, U-M saw course conditions shift just as the first Wolverine was set to tee off. As the winds grew stronger, the Wolverines had a slow start as they were quickly six-over after three holes. However, adjusting to the Arizona winds, the Maize and Blue responded by playing even par in its next six holes as a pair of birdies from Borja as well as one from Lau and sophomore Monet Chun helped U-M maintain its six-over score at the turn.
After a solid start to the front nine, missed opportunities added up midway through the front as the Wolverines sat 14-over with three holes remaining in the first round. As it has done all season, U-M adjusted again finishing its final three holes one-under using a third birdie from Lau and 11 pars to post a 301 (+13) total.
"We had a bit of a tough start as the winds picked up right at the start of our round," said U-M head coach Jan Dowling. "It was great to see us settle in nicely though. We adjusted to the conditions and focused on our planning for the day. We learned a great deal today about the greens -- how the ball is releasing as well as speed control. Adjustments will be made. Our best rounds are here in front of us. Lots of golf left."
After opening with three bogeys on her first eight holes (Nos. 10, 16, 17), Lau took advantage of her length birdieing the final three par 5s (Nos. 18, 4, 7). After adding seven pars to close three-under, she erased her three-over start to card an even 72 and put herself tied for sixth after day one.
"I definitely struggled a little on the first nine; however, I told myself to keep my head high and try to forgive myself quickly," said Lau. "I focused on taking advantage of the reachable par 5s (except 18) and it paid off. So, I am happy with the results and ready to get back out there tomorrow afternoon."
Borja began her NCAA Finals strong as she used three birdies (Nos. 13, 18, 3) to sit three-under through her first 12 holes. A missed up-and-down on the par 5, 4th gave a shot back and after a double bogey on the following hole (par 3, 5th), she drew herself back to even. However, closing with four more pars she posted an even 72 (E) and is tied for sixth.
"It was a good round," said Borja. "I had some really good putts fall. There were those two holes (Nos. 4-5), that I just struggled on. I put myself in tough positions and couldn't get them up and down. Tomorrow is a different day. We need to have the same mindset as today. Focus on the middle of fairways and middle of greens. It is a tough course to get some close shots in. So playing the strong side is what is really important."
Dating back to last year's finals, Borja's opening 72 helps her to four straight rounds at the Grayhawk Golf Club of par-or-better -- 71 (-1), 72 (E), 68 (-4) and 72 (E).
"Hailey (Borja) & Ashley (Lau) had very solid rounds today," said Dowling. "Their ball striking was super solid and they converted on their opportunities. It's tough to get the ball close out here, and they took advantage when they could."
As for the rest of the Wolverines, Chun battled back from a three-over start and got back to one-over before finishing with a 77, putting her tied for 81st. Graduate student Ashley Kim and junior Mikaela Schulz each posted an 80 and are tied for 111th.
The Wolverines will begin their second round in the afternoon wave off the first tee at 12:36 p.m. MST (3:36 EDT), paired once again with TCU (300) and Georgia (303).
Team Standings (After Day 1 of 4)
1. Stanford 289
2. Texas A&M 292
3. UCLA 295
4. Auburn 296
LSU 296
Florida State 296
7. Oregon 297
8. Alabama 298
USC 298
10. Mississippi State 299
11. TCU 300
12. MICHIGAN 301
Wake Forest 301
Purdue 301
Baylor 301
16. Arizona State 302
17. Georgia 303
18. Virginia 304
19. Texas 305
20. South Carolina 306
21. Oklahoma State 307
San Jose State 307
Arkansas 307
24. Vanderbilt 308
Top Individuals
1. Rose Zhang, Stanford 68 (-4)
2. Zoe Slaughter, Texas A&M 69
3. Sabrina Iqbal, TCU 71
Ty Akabane, UCLA 71
Sadie Englemann, Stanford 71
6. ASHLEY LAU, U-M 72
HAILEY BORJA, U-M 72
Danielle DuToit Purdue 72
Brianna Navarrosa, USC 72
Charlotte Heath, Florida State 72
Calynne Rosholt, Arizona State 72
Celina Sattelkau, Vanderbilt 72
Kaleigh Telfer, Auburn 72
Megan Schofill, Auburn 72
Isabella van der Biest, Alabama 72
Tze-Han Lin, Oregon 72
Anna Morgan, Furman 72*
Other Michigan Individuals
T81. Monet Chun 77 T109. Mikaela Schulz 80 T109. Ashley Kim 80 * playing as individual
Players Mentioned
