Curtis tied for second after first round of Columbus Regional
May 08, 2017 | Women's Golf
Badgers just five shots back of final qualifying spot
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Despite blustery conditions on the Scarlet Course at The Ohio State Golf Club, Wisconsin junior Gabby Curtis managed to shoot an even-par 72 in the first round of the NCAA Columbus Regional and is tied for second place after day one.
Starting the day on the back nine, Curtis birdied three of her first five holes to gain sole possession of the lead. She gave one shot back after a bogey on No. 15 (her sixth hole of the day) but finished her first nine holes at 2-under par.Â
"I started off pretty strong and got under right away so it took some pressure off for the rest of the round because I didn't have to work to get things back," Curtis said. "And then I just stayed steady the rest of the time."
Bogeys on No. 1 and No. 5 dropped her to even par. After hitting her approach shot to within 15 feet on her final hole of the day (No. 9), Curtis' birdie putt came within centimeters of dropping but stayed out of the cup. Her even par round of 72 puts her in a tie for second place heading into tomorrow's second round.Â
"There's a couple tricky holes and a couple tricky stretches so you didn't want to get off tempo, just (hit) fairways and greens," Curtis said. "Once you got on the greens, a lot of the fall lines you could really hit and get the ball closer so then you have a lot of easier putts."Â
Purdue's Marta Martin Garcia was the only player in the field to break par on Monday and holds the lead at 2-under par. Morgane Metraux of Florida State joins Curtis in second place. They are the only three golfers out of 96 who are at even par or better.
As a team, the Badgers finished the day in a tie for 11th place at 26-over par. The top six teams from each regional advance to the NCAA Championships and the Badgers are just five strokes back of that all-important placement. After day one, the eight teams that make up fifth through 11th place are separated by just six strokes.
The conditions and difficulty of the golf course took its toll on all the teams. Florida and Florida State, siting in first and second place, respectively, and ranked fourth and fifth in the country, combined to shoot 20-over par (Florida at 9, Florida State at 11).
"That grind and fight was there all day," Wisconsin head coach Todd Oehrlein said. "That's a really good thing and you need to see that. We're just a handful of shots off the number right now so they're still in the mix and still in the golf tournament."
Complete stats for the NCAA Columbus Regional are available at GolfStat.com. The Badgers are scheduled to tee off tomorrow's second round at 7:30 a.m. ET.
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Starting the day on the back nine, Curtis birdied three of her first five holes to gain sole possession of the lead. She gave one shot back after a bogey on No. 15 (her sixth hole of the day) but finished her first nine holes at 2-under par.Â
"I started off pretty strong and got under right away so it took some pressure off for the rest of the round because I didn't have to work to get things back," Curtis said. "And then I just stayed steady the rest of the time."
Bogeys on No. 1 and No. 5 dropped her to even par. After hitting her approach shot to within 15 feet on her final hole of the day (No. 9), Curtis' birdie putt came within centimeters of dropping but stayed out of the cup. Her even par round of 72 puts her in a tie for second place heading into tomorrow's second round.Â
Round one in the ?? & there's a familiar face near the top.
— Wisconsin Golf (@BadgerWGolf) May 8, 2017
Great round @Gabbbycurtttis!#Badgers pic.twitter.com/35ecxSamX9
"There's a couple tricky holes and a couple tricky stretches so you didn't want to get off tempo, just (hit) fairways and greens," Curtis said. "Once you got on the greens, a lot of the fall lines you could really hit and get the ball closer so then you have a lot of easier putts."Â
Purdue's Marta Martin Garcia was the only player in the field to break par on Monday and holds the lead at 2-under par. Morgane Metraux of Florida State joins Curtis in second place. They are the only three golfers out of 96 who are at even par or better.
As a team, the Badgers finished the day in a tie for 11th place at 26-over par. The top six teams from each regional advance to the NCAA Championships and the Badgers are just five strokes back of that all-important placement. After day one, the eight teams that make up fifth through 11th place are separated by just six strokes.
#Badgers end day 1 tied for 11th place, just 5 shots back of 6th.
— Wisconsin Golf (@BadgerWGolf) May 8, 2017
Early tee time tomorrow, starting at 7:30 am ET. pic.twitter.com/jGAlyshivN
The conditions and difficulty of the golf course took its toll on all the teams. Florida and Florida State, siting in first and second place, respectively, and ranked fourth and fifth in the country, combined to shoot 20-over par (Florida at 9, Florida State at 11).
"Remember that one time at the Final Four?"
— Wisconsin Golf (@BadgerWGolf) May 8, 2017
"I don't even ..." pic.twitter.com/r60wKcqvcn
"That grind and fight was there all day," Wisconsin head coach Todd Oehrlein said. "That's a really good thing and you need to see that. We're just a handful of shots off the number right now so they're still in the mix and still in the golf tournament."
Complete stats for the NCAA Columbus Regional are available at GolfStat.com. The Badgers are scheduled to tee off tomorrow's second round at 7:30 a.m. ET.
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Players Mentioned
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