Colorado women’s golf is in ninth place after the first round of the NCAA Waco Regional, played May 11 at Ridgewood Country Club in Waco, Texas. The Buffaloes shot a 12-over-par score of 292 and are within reach of the top five spots needed to advance to the NCAA Finals. Tulsa currently holds fifth place at six-over.
The result matters as only the top five teams from each regional will move on to compete for a national championship. Colorado entered as the ninth seed and remains close to advancing despite their current position.
“I think it was a really good day for the Buffs,” Colorado head coach Madeleine 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.”
Scoring proved difficult on Ridgewood’s par-70 layout, which measures 6,097 yards and features only two par fives. SMU leads after one round with a three-under score; Texas A&M and Oregon are tied for second at even par, while Tennessee is fourth at two-over.
Sheils said about conditions: “It’s a hard course to score on (and the) two par 5s today played incredibly long, so just not the same amount of scoring opportunities as we typically see. But with a few less bogeys and taking advantage of a few more wedge shots when we do have that in hand tomorrow, I think we’ll be in a good position.”
Junior Maya McVey led Colorado individually with an even-par round of 70 and is tied for ninth overall—just four shots off first place. “She is in control of every part of her game right now,” Sheils said. “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.” Freshman Teemapat Pateetin carded a three-over-par 73 and sits tied for twenty-ninth; sophomore Ellen O’Shaughnessy finished four-over (tied forty-first), junior Carolyn Fuller posted five-over (tied forty-fourth), and freshman Ananthi Vivek shot eight-over (tied fifty-sixth).
Vanessa Borovilos (Texas A&M), Kiara Romero (Oregon), and Kyra Van Kan (Tennessee) share individual leadership after shooting four-under rounds.
Looking ahead, Colorado will play alongside Baylor (currently seventh) and Tarleton State (eighth) during Tuesday’s second round beginning at 7:50 am Mountain Time.
