Credit to Brandon Collins | Associate Director, Athletics Communications
SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The Aggies shot 11-under in the final five holes of the second round and held a four-shot lead on Tuesday despite consistent rain and an hour-long lightning delay, heading into the last round of the NCAA San Antonio Regional at the TPC San Antonio Oaks Course.
“This group has the mentality of that they don’t want to just advance, they want to win,” head coach Gerrod Chadwell said. “That speaks to the finish that we had which was one of the most impressive finishes I have ever seen. The rain, how difficult the course was and the stage made it unreal to be a part of. The fight isn’t over. We have 18 holes left to play and we are excited to have a shot to finish the job.”
The Aggies (295-286—581) finished the day 2-under 286 and were the only team in the field to record an even-par round or better through the first two rounds. A&M registered nine birdies and one eagle during the last five holes that catapulted it into a comfortable four-shot cushion over SMU for the lead. Most importantly, the Aggies were 13 strokes ahead of fifth place, which they would need to be inside of in order to advance to the NCAA Championships by the end of the day on Wednesday.
Jennie Park (75-70—145) started the day with a birdie on No. 1, the same hole she quadruple bogeyed the day before. The Carrollton, Texas, native shot an outstanding 2-under 70 in the second round and ended the day tied for seventh.
Hailee Cooper (72-72-144) was 4-over as she approached the No. 14 tee box. The graduate student would birdie the hole and add two more birdies before taking on No. 18. On the final hole of the day, Cooper hit an approach to about 25 feet and nailed the long putt in front of a throng of Aggie faithfuls. The birdie on 18 capped off a run of four birdies in five holes to conclude her round. Cooper finished the day at even par and tied for fifth.
Blanca Fernández García-Poggio (75-71—146) had a strong outing on Tuesday. The senior went 1-under 71 and birdied three of her last five holes to help her hold onto a share of 12th on the player leaderboard. The Madrid, Spain, native polished off her round with an easy birdie putt inside of 10 feet after a masterful approach on 18.
Adela Cernousek (73-73—146) went 1-over 73 and her round was highlighted by a rare eagle on No. 14. The sophomore hit her second shot on the par five to 15 feet that landed on the fringe of the green and capitalized on the eagle opportunity. Cernousek became one of four golfers in the field to have an eagle on the course. The Antibes, France, native tied for 12th heading into Wednesday.
Zoe Slaughter rounded out the lineup in 59th.
Next Up
The Maroon & White are set to tee off at 9:06 a.m. on Wednesday to begin the final round. Live stats for the tournament can be found at golfstat.com.
Team Standings
1 – Texas A&M (+5)
2 – SMU (+9)
3 – Oklahoma State (+12)
4 – Pepperdine (+15)
5 – Auburn (+18)
—CURRENT CUT LINE—
6 – Denver (+23)
7 – New Mexico (+24)
8 – UCLA (+27)
9 – Sam Houston (+31)
10 – ULM (+39)
11 – Illinois (+44)
12 – Missouri State (+65)
|
Place |
Team/Player |
Round 1 |
Round 2 |
Overall |
|
1 |
Texas A&M |
295 (+7) |
286 (-2) |
581 (+5) |
|
T5 |
Hailee Cooper |
72 (E) |
72 (E) |
144 (E) |
|
T7 |
Jennie Park |
75 (+3) |
70 (-2) |
145 (+1) |
|
T12 |
Adela Cernousek |
73 (+1) |
73 (+1) |
146 (+2) |
|
T12 |
Blanca Fernández García-Poggio |
75 (+3) |
71 (-1) |
146 (+2) |
|
59 |
Zoe Slaughter |
81 (+9) |
83 (+11) |
164 (+20) |
Follow the Aggies
Visit 12thman.com for more information on Texas A&M women’s golf. Fans can keep up to date with the A&M women’s golf team on Facebook, Instagram, and on Twitter by following @AggieWomensGolf.