A long-awaited return to NCAA regional play yielded uneven results for the Colorado women’s golf team.
The ninth-seeded Buffaloes finished ninth at the opening day of the NCAA Waco Regional on Monday, while junior Maya McVey finished the first round in the top-10, carding an even-par 70 at the Ridgewood Country Club.
McVey will be four shots behind the trio of players who held the opening-round lead — Vanessa Borovilos of Texas A&M, Oregon’s Kiara Romero and Kyra Van Kan of Tennessee — when the second round begins on Tuesday morning.
McVey saved par on 15 of 18 holes, ending the round in a tie for ninth. CU freshman Teemapat Pateetin finished the opening round in a tie for 29th at 3-over-par 73, while Elle O’Shaughnessy carded a 4-over 74.
“She is in control of every part of her game right now,” CU head coach Madeleine Sheils said in a press release. “She’s just such a great player who has been such an asset for us this year. It’s fun to see her playing well right now.”
Although the Buffs, who are competing at an NCAA Regional for the first time since 2018, will be ninth heading into the second round, they are only six strokes behind fifth-place Tulsa. The top five teams, plus the top individual not associated with those teams, advance to the NCAA championship following the three-round regional.
“I think it was a really good day for the Buffs,” Sheils said. “I know our place on the scoreboard doesn’t necessarily indicate that, but it was a day where I thought we played better than we scored. They managed their way around the golf course beautifully and were just composed, competing hard all day.”
NCAA Waco Regional
Ridgewood Country Club (par 70)
Team standings (through first round) — 1. SMU 277. t-2. Texas A&M 280. t-2. Oregon 280. 4. Tennessee 282. 5. Tulsa 286. 6. LSU 287. 7. Baylor 288. 8. Tareleton State 290. 9. Colorado 292. 10. TCU 296. 11. Northern Arizona 296.12. Prairie View A&M 319.
Top 10 individuals (through first round) — t-1. Vanessa Borovilos, Texas A&M, 66. t-1. Kiara Romero, Oregon, 66. t-1. Kyra Van Kan, Tennessee, 66. t-4. Francesca Fiorellini, LSU, 67. t-4. Celine Chen, SMU, 67. 6. Grace Jin, SMU, 68. t-7. Sophie Han, Oregon, 69. t-7. Louise Depadt, Tarleton State, 69. t-9. Maya McVey, Colorado, 70. t-9. Samantha Olson, Tulsa, 70. t-9. Sophie Christopher, 70.