PULLMAN, Wash. – No. 12 Baylor women’s golf will open play at the Pullman regional on Monday morning as the No. 2 seed at Palouse Ridge Golf Club.
While BU is making its first appearance this season in the state of Washington, it has faced seven of the 11 teams in the regional, boasting a 7-5-1 mark against those squads. Head coach Jay Goble has taken his team from coast to coast this season to prepare them to play anywhere, anytime.
“I think they're fighters,” he said. “If you look where we've played well, it's been on really hard golf courses. We won at Guadalajara, where the winning score was over par. We played well at Palos Verdes in California, where the winning score was over par. That’s going to help us moving forward because as the golf courses and the situations get more challenging, we do a great job of rising to the occasion.”
Coming off a tie for ninth and a Big 12 All-Tournament Team selection, freshman Silje Ohma makes her NCAA postseason debut at the No. 1 spot. Ohma leads the team in below-par percentage, making birdie or better on 20.2% of holes this season.
Rosie Belsham will play at No. 2 this week after being one of the most consistent players in the lineup. The junior has finished in the top-25 in seven of her nine events this season and has made par or better on nearly 83% of holes.
Britta Snyder will play at No. 3 this week, her highest position in the lineup since she played at No. 1 at the Match in the Desert in January. Snyder tied for second last season in the Stillwater Regional at Karsten Creek, marking her career-best finish. The junior feels like the strength of this team is in the depth of the lineup.
“I think there is a sense of relief knowing that your teammates have your back,” she said. “I also think that we're able to motivate each other because we're all competing for our spots. Any of us can all play at No. 1, or any of us could play at No. 5. We all want to edge each other out, but to push each other in the best way possible at practice and on the course.”
Sera Hasegawa will make her NCAA regional debut out of the No. 4 position. The sophomore transfer is second on the team in birdie-or-better percentage, finishing under par on 20% of her 378 holes played this season.
Hannah Karg will play at No. 5, making her second-career start in an NCAA Regional, coming off a tie for 35th last season at Karsten Creek. Karg finished in a tie for sixth at the Big 12 Championship, earning all-tournament team honors. The senior, embarking on her final postseason run, feels more confident as the difficulty and conditions ratchet up.
“We know how to play those golf courses, especially when the temperatures get into the 50s and 60s, or it's cold and rainy. I feel like that's where everybody on our team feels comfortable because we are used to it.”
Once available, pairings, live stats and scoring will be available at Golfstat.com. For more information on Baylor Women’s Golf, follow @BaylorWGolf on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
