SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. - Following a strong second round at the NCAA Championships on Saturday, Stanford women's golf and freshman Rachel Heck lead the way at Grayhawk Golf Club. The Cardinal leads with a 7-under 569 while Heck is in front with an 8-under 136.
On Saturday, Stanford posted a tournament-best 10-under 278, the Cardinal's sixth round of the season at 10-under or better. All four Cardinal scorers finished under par, led by Heck's 5-under 67. Heck leads the field by five strokes over Duke's Gina Kim, while the Cardinal sits in first place four strokes ahead of the second-place Blue Devils.
"Teeing off at 6:30 this morning, the wind was laying low," Margot and Mitch Milias Director of Women's Golf Anne Walker said. "We started on the back nine which is the higher side of the course, then we made the turn nicely and picked up some shots coming in. I thought it was a great day all around. Everyone contributed, everyone was in it until the end. It was just what we wanted to do on the second day of the tournament."
On Friday, Heck was the only player in the entire field to break 70, firing a 3-under 69. She bettered that by two strokes on Saturday, firing a 5-under 67 with six birdies and just one bogey. Saturday's round marked Heck's fifth this season finishing at 5-under or better and her 12th straight collegiate round in the 60s. In total, 15 of her 23 rounds this season have been in the 60s.
"I had another fun day out there," Heck said following the round. "It's a beautiful course and I'm really enjoying myself. We're stoked to have put together a great round today! We know it's still a long week, so we're just going to keep taking things one day at a time and enjoy every moment."
After opening Friday's round with five straight bogeys, sophomore Angelina Ye has played the next 31 holes at 3-under. On Saturday, she tallied a 3-under 69 with six birdies, joining Heck as two of only seven rounds in the 60s on Saturday in the entire field.
"We don't get rounds like that very much from Angelina," Walker said of Ye's Friday round. "But I was encouraged that she shot even par yesterday after those first five holes. She played really good golf down the stretch yesterday and carried that momentum into today."
After matching each other with 75s on Friday, both sophomore Brooke Seay and junior Aline Krauter totaled matching 1-under 71s in the second round. Both individuals had three birdies on Saturday.
The Cardinal will tee off No. 1 beginning at 6:30 a.m. on Sunday, playing alongside Duke and Texas. Following Sunday's round, the field will be cut to 15 teams. Following the fourth round on Monday, the NCAA Individual Champion will be crowned and the field will be trimmed to eight teams for match play.
"We have a long way to go so we won't be looking at where we stand, we will be heads down," Walker finished. "The 24 best teams in the country are here and anyone can get hot at any time, and that goes either way. We will put our heads down and get ready for tomorrow."
Sunday Tee Times (Off #1)
6:30 a.m. » Aline Krauter
6:41 a.m. » Brooke Seay
6:52 a.m. » Angelina Ye
7:03 a.m. » Sadie Englemann
7:14 a.m. » Rachel Heck
NCAA Championships (Grayhawk Golf Club, par 72)
| Name | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Stanford | 291 (+3) | 278 (-10) | -- | -- | 569 (-7) |
| 1. Rachel Heck | 69 (-3) | 67 (-5) | -- | -- | 136 (-8) |
| T18. Sadie Englemann | 72 (E) | 73 (+1) | -- | -- | 145 (+1) |
| T22. Angelina Ye | 77 (+5) | 69 (-3) | -- | -- | 146 (+2) |
| T22. Brooke Seay | 75 (+3) | 71 (-1) | -- | -- | 146 (+2) |
| T22. Aline Krauter | 75 (+3) | 71 (-1) | -- | -- | 146 (+2) |