Stanford holds off Oregon 3-2 for second national title

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Stanford freshman Rose Zhang stood simply wanting the seventeenth inexperienced, the ball resting a number of ft away within the tough as she tried to shut out a good match.

Oregon’s Sophie Kibsgaard Nielson wheeled previous Zhang whereas lining up her subsequent shot and by chance rolled over the ball along with her push cart, incurring a one-shot penalty.

A weird sequence, however it had little to do with the result. Zhang was going to wrap up the nationwide championship both means.

Zhang closed out Kibsgaard Nielson with a two-putt par and Stanford beat Oregon 3-2 on Wednesday for its second nationwide championship.

“It turned out no matter that penalty shot I used to be capable of safe it, however it undoubtedly lightened a whole lot of stress on that gap,” stated Zhang, who received the NCAA particular person title Monday. “It actually sucked for it to finish that means. It was simply unawareness by Sophie, however I did not assume a lot of it.”

The Geese misplaced the primary two matches, then rallied to win the subsequent two, leaving it as much as Zhang and Kibsgaard Nielson on Grayhawk Golf Membership’s Raptor Course.

Main 2 up, Zhang hit her tee shot into the tough wanting the par-4 seventeenth and Kibsgaard Nielson, looking forward to her subsequent shot, rolled over it along with her cart.

Had it been stroke play, Zhang would have simply changed her ball with no penalty. In match play, Kibsgaard Nielson was hit with a one-stroke penalty.

It did not matter.

Kibsgaard Nielson wanted to win the outlet and even with out the penalty, she solely would have had a par. Zhang two-putted from about 60 ft for par, sinking a 5-footer for the Pac-12’s unprecedented 2 hundredth ladies’s NCAA title throughout all sports activities.

“I reminded Rose that nobody ever needs a event to finish that means, however it did not,” Cardinal coach Anne Walker stated. “On the finish of the day, Sophie made 5, Rose made 4 and I would like that for each Sophie and Rose to be the main target as a result of nobody needs a title to finish that means. .”

Stanford has been one of many nation’s finest applications since Walker took over in 2012, but has struggled at instances to complete off robust.

The Cardinal received the 2015 title, however misplaced to Washington within the title match the subsequent season and completed tied for third the subsequent two years. Stanford misplaced within the quarterfinals the previous two seasons, the final one because the No. 1 seed.

The Cardinal needed to grind out wins over Georgia and Auburn on Tuesday, however gave the impression to be cruising to their second nationwide title.

Stanford led 4 of the 5 matches early, then Brooke Seay beat Ching-Tzu Chen 4 and three within the opener. Aline Krauter gave the Cardinal a 2-0 lead with a 5-and-3 victory over Hsin-Yu Lu.

Then issues began to get tight.

Tze-Han Lin beat Rachel Heck 4 and three, giving Oregon hope with two shut matches nonetheless on the course.

Briana Chacon, down two with 4 holes left, tied her match after Sadie Englemann could not rise up and down from in entrance of the inexperienced on 17. Chacon hit her second shot on the par-5 18th into the greenside bunker and made the 15-foot birdie putt to win 1 up, pulling the Geese even.

“We didn’t play good golf within the begin of this,” Oregon coach coach Derek Radley stated. “We have been just a little timid, only for the second, however I by no means rely my Geese out and, man, did we give it a run on the finish.”

Zhang appeared as if she would dominate the closing match, simply as she did in successful the person title. She received the primary two holes and led 3 up by 11. However Kibsgaard Nielson stored her shut, chipping the lead down to 1 with birdies on Nos. 12 and 14.

Zhang went again 2 up with a birdie on the par-4 fifteenth and barely acquired her ball onto the entrance of the inexperienced from the tough on No. 17. With the penalty on Kibsgaard, Zhang solely wanted three putts to shut out the match and acquired it down in two, sending Cardinal gamers charging onto the inexperienced in celebration.

“No phrases can describe it,” Zhang stated. “That was probably the most unbelievable second of my life.”

The Geese, regardless of arising brief within the title match, took big strides of their fourth season underneath Radley.

Oregon received the Pac-12 championship for the primary time — Hsin-Yu was the person champion — and claimed its first NCAA regional. The Geese then rolled by San Jose State and Texas A&M on Tuesday to achieve their first NCAA title match.

“This was the dream, this was aim,” Radley stated. “We needed to get to this stage. That is a particular group.”

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