May 21, 2012
STANFORD, Calif. -- - Stanford will begin play at the 2012 NCAA Women's Golf Championships on Tuesday at the Vanderbilt Legends Golf Club in Franklin, Tenn., where the Cardinal will be paired with Ohio State and Arizona State for the first 36 holes of the event.
The Cardinal, Buckeyes and Sun Devils will tee off at 8:36 a.m. ET on Tuesday off No. 10 and 12:59 p.m. from No. 10 on Wednesday. The teams will then be repaired for the final two rounds on Thursday and Friday.
Stanford, which qualified for the event by finishing fifth at the West Regional in Erie, Colo. is making its 27th overall appearance at the NCAA Championships.
Joining Stanford out of the West Regional were UCLA, LSU, Pepperdine, Colorado, Baylor, North Carolina and Oklahoma. Advancing to Franklin from the East Region were South Carolina, Texas A&M, Texas, Alabama, Florida, Arizona State, Duke and Michigan State, while USC, Vanderbilt, Purdue, Tennessee, Virginia, Ohio State, North Carolina State and Arkansas advanced from the Central Region.
The Cardinal has enjoyed 16 top-10 finishes over the years at the NCAA Championships, highlighted by a second place showing at the 2000 event in Sun River, Ore. Its last top-10 showing came in 2007, when it finished fifth.
Stanford placed 23rd in last year's event held at the Traditions Club in Bryan, Tex., where UCLA edged Purdue by four shots to earn the team title.
The Cardinal is expected to start a lineup consisting of junior Sally Watson, freshman Mariko Tumangan, sophomore Marissa Mar, junior Kristina Wong and senior Sydney Burlison.
Watson is coming off a fourth place finish at the West Regional, where she shot a three-under total of 213 on the Colorado National Golf Club layout. She has six top-10 finishes in her 10 events this season.
Watson had a strong showing in her inaugural NCAA Championships appearances in 2010, when she closed with a final round 66 and to secure a ninth place finish at 286 (-2).
Stanford is not unfamiliar with Vanderbilt Legends Club. The Cardinal finished 15th at the 2010 Mason Rudolph Invitational, held on the same layout in Franklin, Tenn. With a 54-hole total of 889 (+25).
Daily recaps of the NCAA Women's Golf Championships will be available on GoStanford.com. Live scoring will be provided by GolfStat.com.