A slow start stung Emilie Burger for the second time in two days at the NCAA women’s golf championship.
The Georgia senior put two balls into the water on the par-3 No. 13 and shot a 5-over 75 in the second round Wednesday at the UGA Golf Course, moving her 36-hole total to an 8-over 152.
“I played great after that [No. 13],” Burger said. “I had three bad swings today. Unfortunately it was a very difficult score to swallow but it was another round of golf.”
Burger started the day tied for 64th at 3-over par. She began the second round on the back nine and carded a seven on the water hole at No. 13. She also had a double bogey on par-3 No. 8 after having to sit for a two-hour rain delay.
“I had three bad swings, but other than that it was a normal day,” Burger said. “I played pretty well. I changed up my putting today. I tried to stay in rhythm and stay patient. I had two birdies on the front, so it was good. It was a good way to turn things around going into it tomorrow and the last day. I’m going to try to keep the good mojo going.”
Burger will go into today’s third round at 8-over 152 and tied for 89th place.
“Take away those swings and she’s plus-2 for the tournament without being able to make a putt for two days,” Georgia coach Josh Brewer said. “The next two days are going to be hard. But she’s got to put on a professional face and go out and put on a good show.”
Second round suspended with four groups on course
A second wave of thunderstorms forced the suspension of the second round at about 8 p.m. with 12 players in four groups still on the course.
Today’s schedule will start with the completion of the second round before proceeding to the third round.
Play was suspended the first time at 4:58 p.m. and resumed at 7:01 p.m.
Teams that will have to complete the round today: San Jose State; Michigan State; Northwestern; Arizona; UC-Davis; and Auburn.
Oregon’s Seo aces No. 8
for first career hole-in-one
Hanule Sky Seo missed a possible birdie on No. 7. She more than made up the difference when the Oregon senior aced No. 8 on Wednesday.
“I was like, ‘Whoa, that went in,’” Seo said. “That was all I could think of, just, ‘Whoa, that went in.’ I had a big adrenalin rush and it was great. The hole before, I had a birdie putt and it sat right next to the lip. I guess that makes up for it. I’ll think of it as birdie-birdie but an awesome one.”
One of Seo’s playing partners, Ani Gulugian from UCLA, aced the same hole during Monday’s practice round. It was Seo’s first hole-in-one of her career.
“I had my six iron and I was aiming for the middle of the green,” Seo said. “I pulled it a little — a lot actually — I pulled it a lot. It hit the hill and I thought it would be fine and would roll down. It rolled and rolled, then it kind of slowed down. Then it went in.”
Seo shot an even-par 72 in the second round on Wednesday. She is 7-over for the tournament and tied for 81st.
Defending champion Alabama still confident
Although Southern California put up a monster score, Alabama feels it can close the gap in the final two rounds.
“I feel pretty good,” Alabama coach Mic Potter said. “Southern Cal has a 12-shot lead or something like that. What they shot today, we’re capable of doing it. It’s just a matter of coming out here. Now we’ve got to be a little bit more aggressive. We’ve got to let it go and free things up. We’ve got to make some putts. We’re only converting those short 5-, 6-, 7-footers. We’re not getting a little break here and there. We’ve shot 10-under here before, so we’re fully capable of putting a low round up there again.”
Alabama shot 4-under 284 on Tuesday and is in second place at 4-under par. Stephanie Meadow led the charge with a 5-under 67. Emma Talley and Hannah Collier each shot 1-under 71, while Jennifer Kirby and Daniela Lendl each shot 3-over 75.
“I saw it,” Meadow said. “I was playing with Annie and we shot the same thing today. But at the same time, I know my team’s just as good and we can shoot the same number or better. I’m confident.”
Individual leaders Meadow, Park going head-to-head
The top two individuals have played in the same group the first two rounds and are within one stroke.
Alabama’s top-ranked Meadow and USC’s second-ranked Park have matched each other almost stroke-for-stroke on Tuesday and Wednesday. Meadow leads the individual standings at 8-under par with Park on her heels at 7-under par. Vanderbilt’s Jenny Hahn is third at 6 under and Mississippi State’s Ally McDonald is fourth at 5 under.
“It’s great to have people who are playing well to play with,” Meadow said. “It keeps you motivated and it keeps you going.”
LEADERBOARD
NCAA DIVISION I WOMEN’S GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP
at UGA Golf Course
Par: 72; Yardage: 6,372
Second round, Wednesday
Southern Cal 284-286—560 -16
Alabama 288-284—572 -4
Duke 286-289—575 -1
UCLA 289-287—576 E
Purdue 289-289—578 +2
Stanford 290-288—578 +2
Arizona State 293-287—580 +4
Oklahoma 291-291—582 +6
Tulane 295-289—584 +8
Vanderbilt 299-289—588 +12
Arkansas 299-289—589 +13
Texas 299-295—594 +18
Oregon 301-295—596 +20
Florida 299-298—597 +21
Mississippi State 300-302—602 +26
Oklahoma State 303-300—603 +27
South Carolina 304-305—609 +33
Wisconsin 301-309—610 +34
DID NOT COMPLETE SECOND ROUND
San Jose State 284 +12
Northwestern 298 +13
Michigan State 298 +13
Arizona 298 +18
UC-Davis 299 +19
Auburn 305 +23
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Stephanie Meadow, Alabama 69-67—136 -8
Annie Park, Southern Cal 70-67—137 -7
Jenny Hahn, Vanderbilt 71-67—138 -6
Ally McDonald, Mississippi State 70-69—139 -5
Mariah Stackhouse, Stanford 72-68—140 -4
Noemi Jimenez, Arizona State 73-68—141 -3
Erynne Lee, UCLA 71-70—141 -3
Rachel Morris, Southern Cal 71-70—141 -3
Sophia Popov, Southern Cal 71-70—141 -3
Celine Boutier, Duke 69-73—142 -2
Aurora Kan, Purdue 71-71—142 -2
Lee Lopez, UCLA 73-69—142 -2
Emma Talley, Alabama 71-71—142 -2
INDIVIDUAL-ONLY QUALIFIERS
Ying Luo, Washington 72-74—146 +2
Erica Popson, Tennessee 72-75—147 +3
Emilie Burger, Georgia 75-77—152 +8
Kelly Shon, Princeton 76-72—148 +4
Jennifer Ha, Kent State 79-70—149 +5
Olafia Kristinsdottir, Wake Forest 79-75—154 +10