May 20, 2013
ATHENS, Ga. - No. 10 Stanford, with three consecutive spring victories on the season, competes at the 2013 NCAA Women's Golf Championships on Tuesday through Friday (May 21-24) at the University of Georgia Golf Course.
The Cardinal finished in fifth at the NCAA West Regional hosted at the Stanford Golf Course, advancing to the finals for its 29th appearance. The program has yet to capture the coveted title but came close in 2000 when the team took second.
The 24-team field (in order of Golfweek rankings) is No. 1 USC, No. 2 Alabama, No. 3 Duke, No. 4 Oklahoma, No. 5 Arkansas, No. 6 UCLA, No. 7 Purdue, No. 8 Vanderbilt, No. 9 Arizona, No. 10 Stanford, No. 11 Florida, No. 12 Washington, No. 13 Arizona State, No. 14 Oklahoma State, No. 15 Tulane, No. 16 Texas, No. 20 Northwestern, No. 23 UC Davis, No. 25 Michigan State, No. 30 Tennessee, No. 33 South Carolina, No. 37 Wake Forest, No. 38 Oregon, and No. 56 Wisconsin.
"It's hard to say what score will put us in contention," said Anne Walker, Stanford's Margot and Mitch Milias Director of Women's Golf. "We just want to compete hard over each shot. If we give it our best, we will leave on Friday feeling pretty good about this event."
Walker starts the same spring lineup that captured team titles at the Peg Barnard, Cal Classic and Juli Inkster Spartan Invitational.
Freshman Mariah Stackhouse returns to her home state of Georgia to compete in her first NCAA Championship. She has recorded eight top-10 finishes in 10 events and holds a 71.8 stroke average in 28 rounds of competition. The First Team All-Pac-12 selection, Stackhouse broke a collegiate and course record at the Peg Barnard with a 61 (-10) round where she captured the title and went 12-under-par overall. Less than a month later, she took home the Juli Inkster title.
Like Stackhouse, this marks freshman Lauren Kim's first appearance at the finals. Kim, a Second Team All-Pac-12, has had two top-10 finishes on the season, including a tie for fifth at the Peg Barnard.
Postseason competition veteran Sally Watson returns to the finals for the fourth consecutive year.
The Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Watson won the Sonoma State Invitational for her third collegiate title and came in second at the Edean Ihlanfeldt.
Watson's best finish at the NCAA Championships was during her freshman year in 2010 where she tied for ninth at 286 (-2) after going as low as 66 in the final round.
Mariko Tumangan, who led the Cardinal with a 10th-place tie at the NCAA West Regional, takes the fourth spot on the lineup. The sophomore recorded her best career round at the Cal Classic where she shot a 68 (-4) and tied for second for her collegiate-best finish.
At last year's finals, Tumangan tied for 38th with a 297 (+9).
Rounding out the lineup is junior Danielle Frasier, who makes her first postseason appearance. Frasier posted her career-best finish at the Juli Inkster Spartan Invitational where she tied for ninth at 222, her best 54-hole score.
"Everyone is excited to be here at the finals," Walker said. "This is what we work hard for all year and it can never be taken for granted. We feel confident that we didn't leave anything on the table this year. The team has worked hard and challenged themselves to grow as players. They have arrived in Georgia with their games ready to go."
On the par-72, 6,372-yard University of Georgia Golf Course, the Cardinal tees off the first hole at 7:33 a.m. (ET) with Arizona State and Texas.
"The course is great and perfectly set up by the officials," Walker continued. "The greens are going to be where the tournament is won or lost. There are a lot of slopes, tiers and drop-offs that will affect your ball."
Follow @StanfordWGolf on Twitter for up-to-the-minute updates and quotes from the team. Get to know the players and the program through the daily features at facebook.com/StanfordWomensGolf