Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Jake Mauff at jacob.mauff@colorado.edu.
The University of Colorado Buffaloes finished fifth in the women’s golf Pac-12 Championship on Wednesday. Colorado finished even-par, 864 strokes. Colorado has only scored at or below par two other times in the team’s history.
The Buffs play in one of the toughest conferences in the nation. The Pac-12 has two teams in the national top five — No. 2 USC and No. 4 UCLA — and another five in the top 15. Colorado was ranked No. 40 going into the contest. Eleven teams competed in the championship competition.
USC claimed the Pac-12 conference title. They finished 18 strokes lower than Colorado, scoring 846. Colorado senior Alexis Keating finished the tournament tied for fifth individually. Her final score was 210, although she entered the final day in second after a 66 score on day two.
The next closest Buff was sophomore Brittany Fan. She worked her way to five more strokes than Keating at 215. This was good for a tie for 12th.
Colorado golfed consistently throughout the three-day event. After a strong start, they ended the first day tied for fourth but would drop to fifth place on the second day of play.
The last day was a bit concerning — after a 284 score to end the middle day, the team worked to a 294 tally on Wednesday.
The No. 40 ranking does look good for the Buffs, as the team has a solid record and seems to have a good shot at making the NCAA Championship. But their mediocre finish in the Pac-12 Championship could alter that. Selection will take place on April 25 at 4 p.m. (MST) on the Golf Channel.
