OSU’s HInson-Tolchard advances in NCAA Championship
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. —- With the sun setting in the background, providing just enough light to finish, Oklahoma State women’s golf’s Maddison Hinson-Tolchard birdied on hole 18 to secure the final at-large spot in tomorrow’s final round of stroke play in the 2022 NCAA Women’s Golf National Championships at the Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.
After completing her third round of stroke play with a 5-over 77, Hinson-Tolchard found herself in a five-way tie for the final two spots in tomorrow’s stroke-play finale as the top nine individuals not on an advancing team will be competing alongside individuals from the advancing 15 teams for one additional day of stroke play to determine the top eight teams for match play competition and the 72-hole stroke play individual champion.
Michigan’s Hailey Borja earned the first spot, as she had the low score on hole 10 while Hinson-Tolchard and three other competitors moved to No. 18 for the second hole of the playoff.
After a tee shot that looked as though it might find the water down the right side of the fairway, she placed a perfect shot just short of the green before hitting her third shot a mere 5 feet from the hole.
Hinson-Tolchard would sink the birdie putt, her first in the 20 holes she played on the day, to advance to Monday’s action. She is set to tee off at 2:01 p.m. CT on No. 10.
“It’s a birdie-able hole,” she said of No. 18. “It just depends how you play it, and everyone plays it different. I flared my drive right and I wasn’t sure if it was in the water or not and I just tried to play it safe. Hit my 6-iron into the right spot and then trusted my wedge. My wedge shots have been solid all week, so I just wanted to trust that, and I put it to 5-feet and sunk it so that was really good.”
Elsewhere, the Cowgirls finished in 19th as a team after a carding a 43-over over the course of their three rounds of stroke play at the par-72, 6,340-yard layout.
Lianna Bailey and Rina Tatematsu recorded the low rounds of the day for OSU as the pair both carded a 73. Hailey Jones closed out her season with a 77 while Han-Hsuan Yu rounded out the Cowgirl lineup with a 78.
“I did what we always do,” head coach Greg Robertson said about Hinson-Tolchard’s playoff victory. “Just stay out of the way and let her do her thing. Those two holes, what she did? That was gutsy. The up-and-down to get a bogey to stay in it on 10 and then hit a good wedge shot after a wayward tee shot and make the putt? That’s some great golf and she’s done it all year.”
Fans can follow along with Hinson-Tolchard’s round on golfstat.com and receive updates on the team’s social media pages.
“It feels good,” Hinson-Tolchard said about her playoff win. “It was rough out there today. I just made birdie and it was the first birdie of the day and I’ll take it. It was two really clutch putts so I’m happy.”