The No. 4 Arkansas women’s golf team improved on its first-round score by 14 strokes at the NCAA Central Regional on Friday in Stillwater, Okla., but the Razorbacks are in 13th place with 18 holes remaining and a lot of ground to make up at Karsten Creek Golf Club to reach the NCAA Championships.
Paced by sophomore Regina Plasencia’s 3-under 69, Arkansas shot a 7-over 295, the seventh-best score of the day. The top eight teams from each of three regionals advance to the NCAA Championships in Tulsa in two weeks. The Razorbacks have a team score of 28 over, 16 shots behind top seed and No. 3 ranked UCLA, which had a 1-over 289 on Friday.
Mississippi State and host Oklahoma State are tied for eighth place at 20 over, eight shots ahead of Arkansas. Kansas is in 10th at 23 over, followed by Minnesota (27 over) and North Carolina (27 over).
Plasencia’s bounce-back round from a 9-over on Thursday featured five birdies and one double-bogey and it tied for the second-best score of the day. Sophomore Gaby Lopez birdied five of the last six holes, battling back from 3 over at the turn to card a 1-under 71.
Freshman Summar Roachell of Conway, who had the Razorbacks’ low round of 3 over on Thursday, shot 6 over Friday. Seniors Emma Lavy and Emily Tubert were both at 7 over.
California trails UCLA by a shot to enter the final day in second place, followed by Florida (16 over), Alabama (16 over), the day’s biggest mover Ohio State (17 over), which had the regional’s first even-par round, Kent State (18 over) and Arizona (19 over).
Kent State’s Wad Phaewchimplee, who shot a 7-under 65 on Thursday, leads UNLV’s Dana Finkelstein by four strokes for medalist honors with a 6-under 138.
Lopez is tied for 28th with a 4-over 148 to lead Arkansas.