Colorado’s DI Women Represent at NCAA Regionals

Brittany Fan lifts Buffs, Lady Pios and Rams head home.

By Drew Kort

NCAA Women’s Regionals was chalk full of representatives from Colorado’s Division I golf programs-but there will be only one squad at the NCAA Championship.

Senior Brittany Fan (Pearl City, Hawaii) and the seventh-seeded Lady Buffaloes snuck into to the sixth and last qualifying position Wednesday to secure a spot at NCAA Finals.

Fan, who has been relentless for the Buffs this year with no finishes below T25, was outstanding again. The Hawaii native set a CU women’s golf regional single-round record with an opening bogey-free 6-under 66 at TPC Harding Park. She carded four birdies and one eagle and was atop the leaderboard early on. The team sat in second place.

The team’s momentum was curbed in the second round due to sluggish starts by all team members. Fan was among that group-it took her 75 strokes to get around the 6,369-yard track. She dropped three spots and the team dropped seven spots with one round remaining. Despite their lackluster play, both Fan and the team remained within striking distance.

Fan’s final round outward nine was impressive considering the circumstances. The senior fired a 3-under-par 33 that put her atop the individual leaderboard once again. She tacked on another birdie at 12, but two bogeys on holes 15 and 16 dropped her to 5 under for the tournament and she finished in a tie for fourth. She ultimately lost by only three strokes.

Fan’s effort along with strong performances from sophomores Robyn Choi and Kirsty Hodgkins (Queensland, Australia), who placed T13 and T17 respectively, got the job done. The team shot 5 over par for their three loops and qualified for the NCAA Championship by a single stroke.

They will make their run at a national title May 18-23 in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Click here for stats and scores from the San Francisco Regional.

The Lady Pioneers of DU experienced success of their own. They were out in Tallahassee, Florida, at the par-72, 6,342-yard Don Veller Seminole Golf Club.

Fresh off her win at the Summit League Championship, junior Sophie Newlove (Nottingham, England) led the way for the Crimson and Gold. She earned a T34 result at 2 over par. Not far behind was senior Jessica Dreesbeimdieke (Windhoek, Namibia) and sophomore Mary Weinstein (Highlands Ranch) who fired 3-over-par to finish in a tie for 40th.

In 12th position on the team leaderboard, DU tied its lowest finish at regionals since 2010. However, because they were unable to finish among the top six, they did not qualify for the final leg of the post season. Click here for stats and scores from Tallahassee.

Just days after a marvelous victory at the 4th U.S. Women’s Amateur Four Ball Championship, Rams Katrina Prendergast (Sparks, Nevada) and Ellen Secor (Portland, Oregon) were back at it. The duo competed as individuals at the University of Texas Golf Club in Austin, Texas.

To qualify for competition in Stillwater, the Lady Rams were required to finish among the top three individuals in the field not affiliated with a team. Prendergast finished just outside that mark in a tie for 24th with a final tally of 3 over par. Secor landed in a tie for 69th with a cumulative score of 16 over par. They will both return in the fall for Colorado State. Click here for stats and scores from the Austin Regional.

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.