Cowgirls, fourth, TU fifth and OU in eighth after regional first rounds
The Oklahoma State women’s golf team opened play at the NCAA Chapel Hill Regional on Monday, ending the tournament’s first round in a tie for fourth place.
The Cowgirls combined for a 2-over 282. OSU trails first-place North Carolina by 8 shots and second-place Texas by 3 heading into Tuesday’s second round.
True freshman Yu-Chu Chen set the pace for the Pokes, going 1-under to card a 69 in her NCAA postseason debut. Chen has now played at par-or-better in five of her last seven rounds and sits in a tie for fifth after Monday’s action.
First Team All-Big 12 selection Marta Silchenko added an even-par 70, marking her 15th round at par-or-better this season. Silchenko’s five birdies tied for third-most on the day among the event’s 66-player field.
Sophomores Tarapath Panya (T-18) and Summer Lee (T-26) made it four Cowgirls in the individual top 30. Panya’s 1-over 71 marked her lowest round since April 7, while Lee followed closely with a 2-over 72.
Ellie Bushnell rounded out the OSU lineup with a 76.
The Cowgirls return to action Tuesday morning for the second of three rounds in Chapel Hill.
Led by Samantha Olson’s even-par 70, the University of Tulsa shot 6 over as a team and is in fifth place after the first round of the Waco Regional. SMU leads at 3-under. The top five teams in each regional advance to the NCAA Championship.
Also for Tulsa, Zoe Shamy and Romain Massery each shot 71 while Allyn Stephens shot 74. Jenni Roller struggled to an 82 and her score did not count.
At the Ann Arbor Regional the University of Oklahoma is tied for eighth with Columbia and Kansas after the first round at 12-over-par 296. Northwestern and Ohio State are tied for the lead at 5-under 279.
Gracie Mayo shot a 1-over 72 to lead OU and is tied for 22nd. Savannah Barber shot 74, Audrey Rischer 75 and Reagan Chaney 75 to round out the scoring. The Sooners are nine shots behind fifth-place USC.