University of Illinois
NCAA Championship
Illinois Women’s Golf Wraps up Historic Season at NCAA Championships
May 21, 2019 | Women's Golf
The Illini tied for ninth overall in their first NCAA National Championship appearance.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The 19th ranked Fighting Illini Women's Golf team ended the 2018-19 season in their first NCAA Championship appearance, completing the final round of stroke play at The Blessings Golf Club in Fayetteville, Ark. on Monday. After stroke play concluded this morning, Illinois was just outside the cutline tied for ninth with Big Ten opponent, No. 24 Purdue.
"What a journey it has been, "said head coach Renee Slone. "Very few people outside of the program saw our ninth place finish. Our program has made steady progress through the years. Last year ,we were right there to qualifying for the championship and knew we were building. It was just a matter of putting the pieces together and this year we were able to do that."
The Illini entered the third round in 14th place moved up five spots at the end of stroke play. Alongside the Boilermakers, the Illini were the highest ranked team from the Big Ten in the tournament. Illinois carded a 9-over par 301 in the final round of play to finish 41-over par for the stroke play portion of the event. The Illini posted 42 birdies overall, tying with No. 2 Wake Forest for sixth-place.
"If you had asked us at the beginning of the week if we would be in the mix especially after being 17th place after the first day, we would be happy with where we are," said junior Tristyn Nowlin. "We have come a long way and there was a lot of growth. In the end of the day, it is a great learning experience."
No. 4 Texas, No. 3 Duke, No. 1 USC, No. 7 Arkansas, No. 2 Wake Forest, No. 8 Arizona, No. 5 Stanford, and No. 14 Auburn advanced out of stroke play to compete in the match play portion of the championship, beginning with the quarterfinals at 8 a.m. CT. Illinois and Purdue were within two strokes from eighth place Auburn, who just made the cut.
During the final round of stroke play, the Illini were led by freshmen duo Kornkamol Sukaree and Crystal Wang. Both posted a 3-under par 70 for the final round of match play. Sukaree's three-round total of 225 (+6) tied for 19th while Wang is a stroke behind at 226 (+7) in 23rd. Both freshmen were bogey free on the back nine in the final round.
"The freshmen embraced this opportunity and it was exciting to see Crystal (Wang) and Kornkamol (Sukaree) do so well," noted Slone.
Sukaree came in clutch for the Illini after sinking in a long birdie putt on hole 18 to bring her birdie total to six on the day.
After an uncharacteristic first day, Wang has shot under-par each round and tied for the second highest birdie total with 13. Almost half of those birdies came from the second round where the Diamond Bar, Calif. native posted six birdies, including three in a row on holes 13-15.
Veteran and lone senior Bing Singhsumalee concluded her career with a three-round total of 228 (+9), tied for 34th overall. A steady force for the Illini, she posted five birdies in the final round.
Junior Tristyn Nowlin had many uncharacteristic bogeys in the final round of stroke play, tying 97th-place with 240 (+21). Nowlin's best round came on the third day, where she recorded 74 (+1).
"With the weather conditions we had this week, anything can happen and you need to fight until the end," noted Nowlin.
Freshman Katie Hallinan rounds out the fivesome with a 253 (+34). She tied for 129th place overall. Hallinan impressed during the second round (74 (+1)), posting five birdies including four on the back nine.
As a team, the No. 19 Illini made their first NCAA Championship appearance in 2019. The squad earned matched a program best finish at the Big Ten Championships with another runner-up finish. Illinois also had its best program finish at NCAA Regionals, placing fifth overall to punch their ticket to the NCAA Championships. Head coach Renee Slone was also the first coach in program history to earn Big Ten Coach of the Year, while matching a program best of four All-Big Ten honorees.
Illinois finished among the top five teams in eight tournaments this season, including three event titles in the fall. The last time the Illini earned at least three team titles during the fall season was Betsy Kimpel's 1975 team. That was the second year the program was in existence.
Senior Bing Singhsumalee concluded a decorated career for the Illini leading the Orange and Blue to its first NCAA Championship appearance and back-to-back Big Ten runner-up finishes. Singhsumalee holds the program's record for the lowest single round score with 66 (-6), which was recorded during her freshman year at the Minneosta Invitational in 2015. The Naperville, Ill. native is the first Illini golfer since Becky Biehl to receive at least three All-Big Ten honorees. Singhsumalee earned First-team honors last senior, while picking up second-team honors freshman and senior year.
"I am really honored to be a part of the team that was able to bring us to nationals for the first time," said senior Bing Singhsumalee. "It has been a fun journey and I am glad it ended with us making history."
The Illini will return junior Tristyn Nowlin, sophomore Ali Morallos, and younger players next year in Kornkamol Sukaree, Crystal Wang, Katie Hallinan, and Sarah Hauenstein. The program will also welcome newcomer Siyan Chen (Hangzhou, China) for the upcoming season.
"It was an amazing experience and there are many things learned that we can put into action and prepare for return next year," said Slone. "Moving forward, we will have a better idea of what to expect next year and share this experience with our incoming freshmen. Being able to be this close to match play, will be a great motivator for next year."
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