Not a bad first win. Adela Cernousek took the lead from Lottie Woad in Round 2 and never gave it back, despite some strong attempts by Woad.
Cernousek, a Texas A&M junior from France, has been close to getting her first collegiate win for a while this season. An Aggie fan that has followed her throughout the year told Fairway to Green that it was just a matter of time. And what a time to break through.
Shooting even par any day is difficult – when you have a 6-stroke lead that starts diminishing as Woad catches up? Terrifying. But Cernousek was determined to focus on her own shots, one at a time. She told Fairway to Green her plan going into today was to “hit the fairways, hit the greens and make the putts” and she succeeded.
Woad was able to help Florida State slip into the final round of stroke play today thanks to her birdie on the last hole after 17 pars in a row. Today, she maintained another 8-hole par streak before sinking birdie putts. She shot 3-under today but told Fairway to Green she thought she needed another one or two to drop to have a chance to beat Cernousek. Her instinct was correct, but we’re still impressed.
Woad’s recent Augusta National Women’s Amateur win and her performance this season has put her on Annika Sorenstam’s radar. Sorenstam was seen on the 18th hole this week scouting out her nominees for the Annika Award, the recipient of which she’ll be announcing tomorrow here at Omni La Costa. After Woad’s performance this week, there’s a good chance she won’t be leaving empty-handed on Wednesday.
Cernousek has also had some great successes outside of the NCAA Championship, like qualifying for the U.S. Women’s Open last Tuesday. We’re presuming how many practice rounds Texas A&M played last week, but if you include the qualifier, Cernousek just finished her 144th hole in 8 days, meaning she has played 18-hole rounds of golf 8 days in a row. Tomorrow, she moves on to match play with her team, where she has the opportunity to play up to two rounds depending on how the Aggies perform, plus a third on the final day if the team advances.
The Top 15 Individuals in Women’s Collegiate Golf
The best individual performers this week were also awarded a coveted NCAA trophy.
1. Adela Cernousek (Texas A&M, -12)
2. Lottie Woad (Florida State, -9)
3. Paula Martin Sampedro (Stanford, -6)
T4. Aine Donegan (LSU, -5)
T4. Maria José Marin (Arkansas, -5)
6. Kiara Romero (Oregon, -4)
7. Annabelle Pancake (Clemson, -3)
8. Julia Lopez Ramirez (Mississippi State, -2)
9. Carla Tejedo Mulet (LSU, -1)
T10. Mimi Rhodes (Wake Forest, E)
T10. Latana Stone (LSU, E)
T10. Zoe Campos (UCLA, E)
T10. Phoebe Brinker (Duke, E)
T10. Megha Ganne (Stanford, E)
Ten of these individuals will be competing in match play tomorrow. Follow along as the best college golf teams compete in the quarterfinals in the morning and in the semifinals in the afternoon. Wednesday is reserved for the final match.
