Northwestern competed in the NCAA Regionals in Ann Arbor, Michigan, finishing fourth at the event. The 12-team field featured eight top-50 programs. The highest-ranked team in the field was USC, led in part by former Northwestern golfer Elise Lee. With only five teams in the regional advancing to the NCAA Championships, the Wildcats rose to the occasion against one of the strongest fields in the country.
In the opening round, Northwestern shot a terrific 5-under team score and finished tied for the lead
with Ohio State after 18 holes. Only three teams finished under-par, and the ‘Cats put themselves in excellent position with a strong start. Ashley Yun led the way with an individual 5-under round that included five birdies and 13 pars. She also birdied the difficult par-3 eighth hole, which played to an average score of 3.32. Yun was tied for the individual lead with Elise Lee after round one. Lauren E. Lee and Dianna Lee also turned in strong performances for Northwestern. The first-year shot a 2-under 69 with five birdies, including consecutive birdies on holes 6 and 7. Dianna Lee added three birdies of her own in an opening-round 70, finishing the day tied for 10th.
In round two, Northwestern shot 7-over as a team and sat in a tie for second after 36 holes, just one spot behind Ohio State and level with USC. More importantly, the Wildcats were 11 shots clear of sixth-place UCF, which mattered because only the top five teams advanced. Yun led the way again with a strong 2-under round featuring four birdies, moving to 7-under overall and holding a four-shot lead. Dianna Lee also delivered an even-par round and sat tied for sixth after two rounds. Northwestern was in a strong position to advance to the NCAA Championships once again.
Northwestern closed the tournament with a 15-over final round but comfortably secured fourth place and a return trip to the NCAA Championships. Dianna Lee delivered one of the best rounds of the day, shooting a bogey-free 3-under to finish tied for second alongside Elise Lee. Yun shot 2-over in the final round but held on to claim the individual title and cap a remarkable week for the Wildcats.
The University of Michigan Golf Course proved extremely difficult throughout the regional with the par-71 layout averaging a score of 74.81. The easiest scoring conditions came during the opening round when the course played to 73.73, while the final round proved toughest as cold temperatures and strong winds pushed the average score to 75.61. Only two holes played under par for the week, with the par-5 first hole barely finishing below par at 4.96. The toughest hole on the course was the par-4 18th, which played to a 4.47 average and yielded just eight birdies compared to 19 double bogeys or worse.
Individually, Yun and Dianna Lee led the way for Northwestern. Yun dominated the par-5s with a field-best scoring average of 4.56 and also ranked third in the tournament with 12 birdies. She captured her second career individual title and finished at 5-under overall. Dianna Lee posted rounds of 70, 71 and 68 to finish tied for second at 4-under. The senior played the par-3s at even par, fourth-best in the field, and averaged 3.91 on the challenging par-4s.
Megan Meng, Lauren E. Lee and Hsin Tai Lin also contributed for the ‘Cats. Meng carded rounds of 74, 72 and 75 with six birdies to finish tied for 26th. Lauren E. Lee recorded a collegiate career-best 69 in the opening round before finishing tied for 50th. Tai Lin also opened with her best round of the week, shooting 74, and finished tied for 55th.
The ‘Cats will return to action at the NCAA Championships from May 22 through May 27 at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, California. Northwestern will look to defend its national title against a 30-team field.
