UA misses advancing by 1 stroke

Arkansas golfer Maria Fassi lines up a putt on No. 18 during the local qualifier for the LPGA Walmart NW Arkansas Championship on Monday, June 18, 2017, at Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers.

A record-breaking season for the No. 2 Arkansas Razorbacks women's golf team finished with disappointment on Monday. The University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, shot its second consecutive 1-over 289 at the NCAA Championships but fell short of qualifying for the eight-team match play.

The Razorbacks had won seven tournaments, including their first SEC Championship and the NCAA Austin Regional, and had finished no lower than fourth in any tournament before struggling on the challenging 6,328-yard layout at Karsten Creek in Stillwater, Okla.

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The Razorbacks wrapped up the tournament with a 34-over par, one shot short of No. 26 Baylor and No. 9 Arizona, who tied for eighth at 33 over.

No. 1 Alabama and No. 3 UCLA tied for the lead after four rounds at 9 over, followed by No. 6 Southern California (16 over), No. 13 Northwestern (21 over), No. 5 Stanford (28 over), No. 4 Duke (30 over) and No. 16 Kent State (32 over).

Baylor, playing with Arkansas, shot 2 over Monday and gained two places, while Arizona struggled with a 17 over and fell five spots.

Two rounds of match play will take place today, followed by the final at 3 p.m. Wednesday.

Kaylee Benton had the best day among the Razorbacks with a 2-under round that featured four birdies and two bogeys. Benton finished at 7 over and tied for 36th. Fellow junior Dylan Kim had an even-par 72 and finished 4 over for the tournament and tied for 21st.

Senior Alana Uriell had consecutive birdies on Nos. 18 and 1, but fell back to par with a double bogey on No. 4 and wound up 1 over for the day, 6 over for the championships and tied for 33rd.

Junior Cara Gorlei shot a 2 over, her first counting score at Karsten Creek and wound up 30 over and in 81st place.

Junior Maria Fassi, the No. 1 golfer in the nation, had her first non-counting score of the season, a 3-over 75 that placed her in 66th at 19 over.

Jennifer Kupcho of Wake Forest, the first-round leader with a 65, took home medalist honors at 8 under, two strokes better than Stanford's Andrea Lee and Arizona's Bianca Pagdanganan.

Sports on 05/22/2018