Alabama Women’s Golf: A national championship was lost in playoff stunner
By Ronald Evans
Alabama women’s golf came close to winning a national championship Wednesday. The teams were tied after five matches. Arizona won on the first playoff hole.
The championship Alabama women’s golf was supposed to win became the one it looked like it couldn’t win. Then a courageous comeback pushed the match to dead even, with the final pair of golfers moving on to a playoff.
Shortly after Lakareber’s birdie putt slid off, ever so slightly wide of the hole, Arizona made a winning birdie. The Crimson Tide golf team did not lose by a single putt, an inch wide of the hole, it lost many times throughout the match, but it never quit fighting.
Alabama women’s golf lost because a little-heralded freshman for Arizona soundly out-played, the Tide’s Lauren Stephenson. Earlier on Wednesday, the Women’s Golf Coaches Association announced Stephenson had won the 2017-18 Golfstat Cup. The award is given annually to the golfer with the lowest average score to par throughout a season. The honor arguably defined Stephenson as the best women’s college golfer in the nation.
Stephenson is a first-team All-American and also the No. 6 ranked women’s amateur golfer in the world. Lauren’s opponent on Wednesday, Yu-Sang Hou, ranked the No. 66 women’s amateur, paid no attention to Stephenson’s reputation. The result was a 4-and-3 victory for Hou.
Fellow, first team All-American, Kristen Gillman was the only Tide golfer who did not struggle in the championship match. She won 4-and-3. The third Crimson Tide, first team All-American, Cheyenne Knight also won 4-and-2.
Tide freshman Angelica Moresco fought back the entire round and almost caught up before losing 1-down. The biggest comeback came from Abe. She charged back late, winning three straight holes and the final hole of regular play to tie her match. The 17th hole was a disaster for Abe who had to take an unplayable lie. On the 18th, her second shot into the par five was masterful. She did not make the eagle, but made the short birdie, to send the championship contest to a playoff.
Speedy downhill putts too much for Tide
Lots of courage and determination got the Tide team into the playoff. The biggest problem of the day was not Stephenson’s surprise loss or Abe missing the last putt. The biggest problem was the Tide team could never get the feel of speedy downhill putts.
A half-dozen times or more, reasonable length birdie puts ran seven, eight, nine feet and more past the hole. The result was holes lost or halved with bogeys. The freshman, Moresco had the worst downhill putting experience. On the edge of the 17th green, about 22 feet from the hole, she only needed a two-putt to win the hole. It was all downhill and faster closer to the hole. Her putt went past the hole and kept going, all the way off the green. She had a 45-foot pitch and a putt to salvage a bogey.
The greens were, of course, the same speed for both teams. Arizona handled them better, much better. And that is why the Wildcats are national champions and why the team that should have been – is not.
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The 2018 NCAA Final was a tremendous match. The match play format is perfect for television viewing. Fans of Alabama women’s golf – make that ALL Alabama fans should be very proud of the 2017-18 team. They played tough, full of grit and heart. Abe is a senior and Cheyenne Knight will turn pro, but the team will be very good again next year.