STILLWATER, Okla. – Northwestern's season came to an end in an NCAA Championships Quarterfinal loss to Stanford on Tuesday morning at Karsten Creek Golf Club (Par-72; 6,328 yards). The Wildcats are one of just three teams to finish in the Top-10 at each of the last four NCAA Championships.
2018 NCAA Golf Championships – Stroke Play Results
2018 NCAA Golf Championships – Match Play Results
Hannah Kim, who closed the stroke play portion by playing her final 40 holes at 4-under, was superb in Tuesday's match against the Cardinal's Mika Liu. The senior teed off from No. 10 and quickly won the first four holes of the match to take a lead she would never relinquish. After Kim stretched the lead to five holes, Liu took two back to cut it to three, before the two-time Big Ten Player of the Year dropped the hammer with an astonishing 55-foot birdie putt from the rough on No.4 that put her four up with five to go on the way to a 5&3 victory.
Classmate Sarah Cho was similarly impressive in a hard-fought 3&1 win over Stanford's Emily Wang. The match never wavered further than 1-Up through the first 10 holes, but the San Diego native pulled away down the stretch with wins on No. 4, No. 6 and No. 8 to close out the win.
With two points on the board for Northwestern, and two for Stanford, the match came down to the final pairing with the Wildcats Janet Mao against Cardinal All-American Andrea Lee. Lee took the first three holes, but Mao battled to cut the deficit to one by the tenth. With a crowd gathering that included Vice President for Athletics & Recreation Jim Phillips, field hockey coach Tracey Fuchs, and softball coaches Kate and Caryl Drohan, Mao faced a 3-down deficit with just three holes to go. There, the junior from Johns Creek, Georgia, once again proved herself a bona fide pressure player in front of the Golf Channel cameras. Mao rolled in a 15-foot birdie putt on No. 7 to extend the match, then elicited a roar from the crowd with an 18-footer for birdie on No. 8 to send the tilt to an 18th hole. There, the Northwestern season came to a close as both Mao and Lee parred No. 9 to halve the hole and end the match, with Stanford moving on to the semifinals.
The Wildcats have finished in the Top-10 at four consecutive NCAA Championships, including back-to-back NCAA match play appearances.
QF: #5 Stanford def. #4 Northwestern, 3-2
Hannah Kim (NU) def. Mika Liu (STAN), 5&3
Sarah Cho (NU) def. Emily Wang (STAN), 3&1
Andrea Lee (STAN) def. Janet Mao (NU), 1-Up
Shannon Aubert (STAN) def. Brooke Riley (NU), 4&3
Albane Valenzuela (STAN) def. Stephanie Lau (NU), 5&4
Northwestern – 4/24 • 299-293-290-291 = 1173 (+21)
T13 – Hannah Kim -- 75-73-71-70 = 289 (+1)
T33 – Janet Mao – 68-78-74-74 = 294 (+6)
T46 – Sarah Cho -- 78-74-72-74 = 298 (+10)
T62 – Stephanie Lau – 78-74-80-73 = 305 (+17)
T69 – Brooke Riley -- 87-72-73-78 = 310 (+16)
Karsten Creek has previously hosted the NCAA Men's Golf Championship in 2003 and 2011. 2018 will mark the first time that Karsten Creek has played host to the NCAA Women's Golf Championships.
Former Oklahoma State golf coach and current athletic direction Mike Holder partnered with renowned golf course designer Tom Fazio to construct one of the most challenging golf courses in the country. When it opened in 1994, Karsten Creek was named "Best New Course" in the country by Golf Digest. The zoysia fairways were cut from a forest of oaks and black jacks, complemented by an undulating terrain that flows throughout the course. The back-nine cascades around the 110-acre Lake Louise that is featured on the finishing holes. The over-seeded rough, greens that make the ball roll as if on glass and intense Oklahoma winds sweeping down the fairways make the course perplexing even for some of the world's top amateur golfers.
2018 NCAA Golf Championships – Stroke Play Results
2018 NCAA Golf Championships – Match Play Results
Hannah Kim, who closed the stroke play portion by playing her final 40 holes at 4-under, was superb in Tuesday's match against the Cardinal's Mika Liu. The senior teed off from No. 10 and quickly won the first four holes of the match to take a lead she would never relinquish. After Kim stretched the lead to five holes, Liu took two back to cut it to three, before the two-time Big Ten Player of the Year dropped the hammer with an astonishing 55-foot birdie putt from the rough on No.4 that put her four up with five to go on the way to a 5&3 victory.
Classmate Sarah Cho was similarly impressive in a hard-fought 3&1 win over Stanford's Emily Wang. The match never wavered further than 1-Up through the first 10 holes, but the San Diego native pulled away down the stretch with wins on No. 4, No. 6 and No. 8 to close out the win.
With two points on the board for Northwestern, and two for Stanford, the match came down to the final pairing with the Wildcats Janet Mao against Cardinal All-American Andrea Lee. Lee took the first three holes, but Mao battled to cut the deficit to one by the tenth. With a crowd gathering that included Vice President for Athletics & Recreation Jim Phillips, field hockey coach Tracey Fuchs, and softball coaches Kate and Caryl Drohan, Mao faced a 3-down deficit with just three holes to go. There, the junior from Johns Creek, Georgia, once again proved herself a bona fide pressure player in front of the Golf Channel cameras. Mao rolled in a 15-foot birdie putt on No. 7 to extend the match, then elicited a roar from the crowd with an 18-footer for birdie on No. 8 to send the tilt to an 18th hole. There, the Northwestern season came to a close as both Mao and Lee parred No. 9 to halve the hole and end the match, with Stanford moving on to the semifinals.
3 down with 3 to play.
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) May 22, 2018
2 down with 2 to play.
1 down with 1 to play.
Clutch. #NCAAGolf pic.twitter.com/6e4I4b55Nv
The Wildcats have finished in the Top-10 at four consecutive NCAA Championships, including back-to-back NCAA match play appearances.
QF: #5 Stanford def. #4 Northwestern, 3-2
Hannah Kim (NU) def. Mika Liu (STAN), 5&3
Sarah Cho (NU) def. Emily Wang (STAN), 3&1
Andrea Lee (STAN) def. Janet Mao (NU), 1-Up
Shannon Aubert (STAN) def. Brooke Riley (NU), 4&3
Albane Valenzuela (STAN) def. Stephanie Lau (NU), 5&4
Northwestern – 4/24 • 299-293-290-291 = 1173 (+21)
T13 – Hannah Kim -- 75-73-71-70 = 289 (+1)
T33 – Janet Mao – 68-78-74-74 = 294 (+6)
T46 – Sarah Cho -- 78-74-72-74 = 298 (+10)
T62 – Stephanie Lau – 78-74-80-73 = 305 (+17)
T69 – Brooke Riley -- 87-72-73-78 = 310 (+16)
Karsten Creek has previously hosted the NCAA Men's Golf Championship in 2003 and 2011. 2018 will mark the first time that Karsten Creek has played host to the NCAA Women's Golf Championships.
Former Oklahoma State golf coach and current athletic direction Mike Holder partnered with renowned golf course designer Tom Fazio to construct one of the most challenging golf courses in the country. When it opened in 1994, Karsten Creek was named "Best New Course" in the country by Golf Digest. The zoysia fairways were cut from a forest of oaks and black jacks, complemented by an undulating terrain that flows throughout the course. The back-nine cascades around the 110-acre Lake Louise that is featured on the finishing holes. The over-seeded rough, greens that make the ball roll as if on glass and intense Oklahoma winds sweeping down the fairways make the course perplexing even for some of the world's top amateur golfers.