Razorbacks stay above cut headed into NCAA Regional final round

CLE ELUM, Wash. — Gusty winds and tough hole locations elevated scores but Arkansas women’s golf team remained above the cutline with one round remaining at the Washington Regional in Cle Elum, Washington, on Tuesday.

Yesterday’s friendly back nine was tougher but Arkansas managed the fifth-best round of the day shooting a 296.

The Razorbacks remain in fourth place shooting 287-296—583. They are five shots ahead of the sixth-place teams in the battle to advance to the NCAA Championship at Blessings Golf Club in Johnson, Arkansas, next week.

Senior Maria Fassi flirted with the lead and finished her day with an even-par 72. Fassi is tied for sixth at 69-72—141. She is just four shots back of the leader and Fassi is one of just 11 players who are under par after two rounds.

Senior Kaylee Benton and freshman Ximena Gonzalez both carded 75s on the day. Benton is tied for 13 overall shooting 70-75—145, followed by Gonzalez who is tied for 29th with 73-75—148.

Freshman Brooke Matthews dropped one stroke from her first-round total shooting 75-74—149. She is tied for 34 with one round remaining. Senior Dylan Kim is in the clubhouse with rounds of 80-82—162 and is tied for 87 overall.

The Razorbacks carded 11 birdies on the back nine yesterday but managed just five with today’s conditions. The front side of Tumble Creek Club at Suncadia Resort features stunning vistas and strong winds while the back side has extreme elevation changes and swirling winds — all of which impact play.

No team in the field, which features six programs in the top-25, was able to move up more than two positions on Tuesday.

Fassi leads the field in par-3 scoring playing the short holes 1-under through two rounds and she is 3-under on the par-5 holes. Benton has played the par-4 holes 2-under while Fassi is tied for the tournament lead with 10 birdies.

Final round action begins at 11:30 a.m. with Arkansas paired with Northwestern and Ohio State.

Razorback lineup

The Field

From Coach Shauna Taylor

I thought the conditions were tough today. Obviously, a wind of 20-25 miles per hour on top of this mountain can be difficult. I thought we handled the conditions well, but we let a few slip coming in. This is a resilient group and I think we still have a chance to win a regional championship. We’re going to look ahead and try and put ourselves in a position to win a championship. I’m excited about tomorrow.