FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, May 21st, 2018

NOTABLE QUOTES: NCAA WOMEN’S GOLF CHAMPIONSHIPS – MONDAY’S INDIVIDUAL NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP

NCAA Women’s Golf Championships

Individual National Championship

Monday, May 21, 2018

Karsten Creek Golf Club

Stillwater, Okla.

 

** Wake Forest junior Jennifer Kupcho captured the 2018 NCAA DI Women’s Golf Individual National Championship at 8-under par. Kupcho finished T2 in 2017 (made a triple bogey on the 17th hole to lose by 1).

** Arizona junior Bianca Pagdanganan (T2 at 6-under par) eagled the 18th hole to force a playoff between Arizona and Baylor for the 8th and final spot to advance to team match play competition.

** Arizona defeated Baylor in a playoff to secure the 8th and final spot to advance to team match play competition.

** The low eight teams from today’s individual national championship advance to match-play competition starting Tuesday to determine the team national champions.

** Full information on teams advancing to match play, scores and results can be found at www.GolfChannel.com/college

 

Golf Channel / NCAA Tuesday airtimes:

Quarterfinals – Team Match Play       11 a.m.-1:30 p.m. ET

Semifinals – Team Match Play           4-8 p.m. ET

Schools advancing to team match play quarterfinals include:

UCLA

Alabama

USC

Northwestern

Stanford

Duke

Kent State

**Arizona (defeated Baylor in a playoff)

Team Match Play Quarterfinal Matchups:

UCLA vs. Arizona

Alabama vs. Kent State

USC vs. Duke

Northwestern vs. Stanford

On Jennifer Kupcho, 2018 NCAA Women’s Individual National Champion at 8-under par (1-under par 71 on Monday)

Bob Papa – “Redemption for Jennifer Kupcho as she wins the individual championship in 2018.”

Steve Burkowski – “For Jennifer Kupcho, the smile on her face says it all.”

Papa – “What a performance. Things were going sideways during the middle of the round but she battled back.”

Papa – “After the bitter disappointment last year at Rich Harvest Farms, Kupcho has joined Wake Forest golf royalty.”

Paige Mackenzie – “It was really incredible to watch. She settled in. You could see the patience in her shot making.”

Mackenzie –“It was incredibly telling about who she is as a player that she can go through the adversity of these struggles in what had to feel like Deja vu.”

Jennifer Kupcho speaking with Golf Channel’s Billy Ray Brown following her victory

Jennifer Kupcho – “I thought the women’s score would probably be 10-under, so I was just trying to play my own game. Not focusing about everyone else and just seeing what I can do.”

Kupcho – “My assistant coach was in my ear saying, ‘There is going to be mistakes down the stretch, just keep fighting, just keep fighting.’ Kind of got annoying to the point, but obviously it worked. I came back and did it.”

Kupcho – “I have been working so hard for it and I have had a great team behind me, so it is great to bring it back to Wake.”

Kupcho – “It is awesome. It is so fun to have my teammates here and to win this on my parents’ anniversary is even better. So I am really excited for that.”

On Bianca Pagdanganan, T2 at 6-under par, even-par 72 on Monday (Eagle 3 on the par-5 18th to force a playoff for the 8th spot between Arizona and Baylor)

Bianca Pagdanganan speaking with Golf Channel’s Karen Stupples following her round

Bianca Pagdanganan – “I honestly had no idea going into my last two holes. Everything that coach said was to play your best two holes of your life. So I was going try to keep steady. Hit the greens, make putts. I didn’t know how much that meant. Going into this last hole, my second shot, I felt very confident. For some reason, I felt this adrenaline. I was like, ‘I’m going to get this on the green.’ And when I got it on the green, even more confidence. Just seeing my team there on the last hole, it was amazing. Even if I didn’t know what was going on. But when I stood over that putt, I just knew that it was going in. I just had so much confidence in myself and it was an amazing feeling knowing it means so much for the team.”

Pagdanganan – “It is even more amazing. It has always been my dream to make it to nationals as a team and making that putt, I got goosebumps. I was speechless. I was overwhelmed with all of the overflowing emotions going on and I was just glad I could help the team.”

On Stanford’s Andrea Lee, T2 at 6-under par (tied the course record on Monday with a 7-under 65)

Kay Cockerill – “This has been some impressive round. Something we have seen a lot in her two years at Stanford.”

Mackenzie – “Hard to believe she opened up the tournament with a 77. Gotta believe she has to be thinking what could have been had her first round been a little bit better.”

Stanford’s Andrea Lee and Head Coach Anne Walker speaking with Golf Channel’s Kay Cockerill following the individual championship

Andrea Lee – “Everything was going really well. I hit really good shots and I made a lot of putts, especially on the front nine. Had a lot of long putts on the back nine but managed to save a couple. Two-putt them all and got another one on the last hole here. So, I’m really happy with the way I played and just so excited for tomorrow.”

Anne Walker – “We have some really experienced players and they didn’t get off to the start they wanted, but they rallied around the turn and played great golf on the back nine. That was mostly what we talked about, was ‘Let’s keep the momentum going.’ And I can’t say enough about the way Andrea responded after the first day. She has let us all year. She is our MVP and after that first round she stepped up to the plate and carried us all of the way to the finish line.”

Arizona defeated Baylor in a playoff to win the 8th and final spot to advance to team match play competition

Arizona head coach Laura Ianello speaking with Golf Channel’s Kay Cockerill following the playoff

Laura Ianello – “Well, I think this team was so amazed with how Bianca’s effort pulled us in to this playoff to begin with. We played awful as a team today, but who cares. We had a chance. I told the team if I told you today that we had a chance to get into match play, would you have taken it, they said yeah. Anything can happen in match play. I’m really proud of how the ladies performed in the playoff.”

 

-NBC Sports Group-