Several highly seeded teams are already on upset alert through one round of the NCAA Division I women’s golf regionals.
Of the five regional sites that finished with their first rounds on Monday, a total of 10 top-5 seeds currently sit outside the top 5 on the leaderboard. Following Wednesday’s third round, the top five teams from each of the six regionals advance to next week’s NCAA Championship.
Most notable of the schools in early holes is Wake Forest, Golfstat’s second-ranked team and the top seed in the Raleigh Regional. The Demon Deacons are tied for seventh at 4 over, five shots behind fifth-place Purdue. The four Wake counters combined for nine birdies and an eagle, although no Demon Deacon broke par.
No. 8 seed North Carolina State, one of two hosts at regionals this year, leads Florida State by a shot in Raleigh. Georgia, the fifth seed in Athens, also leads its regional, although the Bulldogs have built a nine-shot gap on the field.
“You couldn’t dream of a better start,” Georgia coach Josh Brewer said. “It is 54 holes. I know people will see the leaderboards and see where we are at. I wouldn’t trade with anyone. Now we have the challenge of staying focused for two more days.”
Two six seeds are also leading, Michigan State in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, and Tulsa in Westfield, Indiana. The Spartans are ahead by 11 shots at PGA National, where No. 2 seed Northwestern and No. 4 seed UCF are outside the top 5, and top-seeded LSU and No. 2 seed Texas is part of a three-way tie for fourth.
The Golden Hurricane are a shot clear of top seed Mississippi State at Chatham Hills while Nos. 3 and 5 seeds, Vanderbilt and Virginia, are tied for sixth, a shot behind Oregon State and Iowa State. No. 2 seed Oregon is eight shots outside the top 5 as two players shot 77.
Tulsa is playing a regional for just the second time since 2012 and hasn’t qualified for nationals since 2008. But four players shot under par on Monday, including Lovisa Gunnar, who is T-2 after a 4-under 68.
“I think the team came out ready to go, and on this golf course if you hit fairways and greens, you can shoot really well, but if you don’t, it can be a very tough course,” Tulsa coach Annie Young said . “We kept it simple, and we hope to do that again tomorrow.”
In San Antonio, No. 2 seed Auburn, which has grown accustomed to slow postseason starts, had to count a 78 and received just seven birdies from its counting scorers. The Tigers are eighth at 16 over, six shots behind UCLA and New Mexico, which are tied for fourth. No. 3 Pepperdine is sixth at 11 over.
Here is a snapshot of where each region stands through 18 holes:
Raleigh Regional
Lonnie Poole GC, Raleigh, North Carolina
Live scoring
In position: 1. North Carolina State (-6), 2. Florida State (-5), 3. Arizona State (-4), 4. Arizona (-2), 5. Purdue (-1)
Within striking distance: 6. Florida (+2), 7. Wake Forest (+4), 7. TCU (+4)
The rest: 9. Nebraska (+8), 10. Campbell (+9), 11. North Texas (+20), 12. Richmond (+22)
Individual leaders: Lottie Woad, Florida State (-5); Lauren Olivares, North Carolina State (-5)
Westfield Regional
The Club at Chatham Hills, Westfield, Indiana
Live scoring
In position: 1. Tulsa (-9), 2. Mississippi State (-8), 3. Michigan (-5), 4. Iowa State (-2), 4. Oregon State (-2)
Within striking distance: 6. Vanderbilt (-1), 6. Virginia (-1), 8. Tennessee (E), 9. Xavier (+1)
The rest: 10. Oregon (+6), 11. Morehead State (+8), 12. Lipscomb (+11)
Individual leader: Julia Lopez Ramirez, Mississippi State (-5)
Palm Beach Gardens Regional
PGA National Resort (Champion), Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
Live scoring
In position: 1. Michigan State (-3), 2. South Florida (+8), 3. Arkansas (+9), 4. LSU (+10), 4. Duke (+10), 4. Texas (+10)
Within striking distance: 7. Alabama (+11), 8. Northwestern (+12), 8. UCF (+12), 10. Cal (+14)
The rest: 11. Penn (+18), 12. Quinnipiac (+28)
Individual leader: Brooke Biermann, Michigan State (-3)
Athens Regional
University of Georgia GC, Athens, Georgia
Live scoring
In position: 1. Georgia (-9), 2. Ohio State (E), 3. South Carolina (+1), 4. San Jose State (+7), 4. Maryland (+7)
Within striking distance: 6. Ole Miss (+9), 6. Furman (+9), 8. Kent State (+12), 8. Kansas (+12), 10. Augusta (+13)
The rest: 11. College of Charleston (+21), 12. Sacred Heart (+24)
Individual leader: Anna Morgan, Furman (-4)
San Antonio Regional
TPC San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas
Live scoring
In position: 1. Texas A&M (+7), 1. Oklahoma State (+7), 3. SMU (+8), 4. UCLA (+10), 4. New Mexico (+10)
Within striking distance: 6. Pepperdine (+11), 7. Denver (+14), 8. Auburn (+16)
The rest: 9. Sam Houston (+20), 10. ULM (+23), 11. Missouri State (+26), 12. Illinois (+29)
Individual leaders: Zoe Campos, UCLA (-2); Thitaporn Saithip, Oklahoma State (-2)
Note: Pullman Regional is still ongoing