NCAA Women’s Golf: Arizona makes cut after strong back nine in 3rd round

In professional golf majors, the third round of a tournament is often known as Moving Day. That’s just how Arizona treated Sunday at the NCAA Women’s Golf Championships, particularly on the back nine.

The Wildcats fired a 1-over 289 at the par-72 Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, climbing to a tie for 7th place and making the cut for Monday’s final round of stroke play. Plus-1 was tied for the low round Sunday.

Arizona was in 13^th after the second round, and at plus-6 on the front nine things were looking bleak. But the quartet of Nena Wongthanavimok, Carolina Melgrati, Julia Misemer and Gile Bite Starkute combined to shoot 5-under on the back nine. They had seven birdies with just three bogies over the final nine holes, with Wongthanavimok firing a 3-under 69 for the day to sit at minus-5 for the tournament.

She is tied for sixth place individually, five shots behind USC’s Catherine Park with one round to go.

Stanford is leading the team competition at minus-13, seven shots ahead of Wake Forest and Texas. Also in the top eight is USC, fourth at minus-2.

The field of 30 teams was cut to 15 after Sunday, with SMU (+17) getting the last spot, but only the top eight will advance to match play after Monday and teams are seeded based on their stroke play finish. Arizona has reached match play the last three times it has made the NCAA championships, including in 2018 when it won the national title.