April 22, 2013
Pac-12 Championships Round 1 Results
VALENCIA, Calif. - Stanford opens with a 10-over-par 298 for fifth place in the first round of the women's golf Pac-12 Championships at the Valencia Country Club.
After going three over through the front nine, senior Sally Watson fired a birdie on the 13th hole and an eagle on the 15th to lead the Cardinal with an even-par 72, tying for fifth place.
"The eagle on 15 obviously really helped the scorecard," Watson said. "I eagled that hole in the practice round so I had a good feeling about it. Then I hit a great chip from just off of the green and luckily it had enough pace to drop."
No. 1 (Golfweek) USC, the only team to shoot under par, leads the tournament at 280. No. 8 UCLA trails by 10 strokes at 290, followed by No. 14 Washington in third place with 293. Rounding in the top five are No. 13 Arizona State with 295 and No. 11 Stanford.
"We play in an extremely tough league and I'm pleased to be right in the thick of the field," said Anne Walker, Stanford's Margot and Mitch Milias Director of Women's Golf. "Tomorrow we will have the same game plan, but with the extra course knowledge I think we will drop a few more putts."
Mariah Stackhouse, one stroke behind Watson, also opened with a top-10 performance. The freshman had a strong front nine, making birdies on the first and ninth to go one under. But two late bogeys pushed her back two strokes for a 73 to tie for 10th.
Tying for 30th was sophomore Mariko Tumangan with a 76. Close behind were freshman Lauren Kim and junior Danielle Frasier who both carded a 77 to tie for 38th.
"It's hard to know what it is going to take to move up the leaderboard," Walker said. "This is a tricky course with very undulating greens. Scores can change quickly. If we play steady again tomorrow, I am confident that we will be in a good spot."
The second round begins at 8:30 a.m. (PT) tomorrow and 8 a.m. Wednesday. Stanford tees off the first hole with Arizona.
"It is always great to help out the team in any way I can but it is not so much about being the best on the team as it is about doing my best," Watson said. "That is my only real measure of success for each day. I am just going to focus on swinging freely the first few holes and getting into my rhythm a little quicker."
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