The University of Colorado women’s golf team didn’t win a team or individual title Wednesday at the Pac-12 Conference Championships at Boulder Country Club, but the Buffs nevertheless celebrated behind the 18th green — and had plenty of legitimate reasons to do so.

After all, the tournament hosts:

— Beat the No. 1-ranked team in the country, according to Golfstat, by outdueling Southern California in a head-to-head matchup on Wednesday.

— One of their players, junior Alexis Keating, matched the low score in the 21-year history of the CU program as she fired a 5-under-par 66 on Wednesday. (Jessica Wallace, 2011, and Emily Talley, 2012, shot 6-under-par 66s on par-72 layouts.) Keating (pictured above being hugged), who tied for fifth individually, recorded the best 54-hole conference championship score ever by a CU player (3-under-par 210).

— Posted their best finish in their four years at the Pac-12 Championships, placing fifth. That may not sound like much, but when you consider the conference currently has six teams in the nation’s top 20, that’s pretty stout. And for the record, the No. 39 Buffs beat four teams ranked ahead of them: No. 1 USC, No. 16 Stanford, No. 18 Arizona State and No. 36 Cal.

— Put a CU player on the All-Pac-12 first team for the first time as sophomore Esther Lee (left) earned the honor after placing 12th Wednesday.

“Today in general was just amazing,” Keating said after her seven-birdie round. “It was so special. I think this is where we’re supposed to be. I think we’re surprising people, which makes it a lot of fun. I’m so proud of my team. I can’t even put it into words.”

Added CU coach Anne Kelly: “This is what college sports is all about.”

Arizona, ranked sixth in the nation, captured the Pac-12 team championship, giving the Wildcats three tournament titles in their last four events. They posted a 1-over-par 853 total, good for a five-stroke victory over No. 28 Oregon. No. 7 Washington (861) was third and No. 3 UCLA (862) fourth.

Colorado, hosting its first conference championships since 1999, used its home-course advantage to close with a 1-under-par 283, the best single-round CU score in conference championship history. That gave the Buffs 868 for three days, their best postseason total ever. CU started the day even with No. 1 USC, but was eight strokes better than the Trojans while playing in the same groups on Wednesday.

“The Pac-12 is an extremely difficult conference,” Lee said. “Every team, every school, is so good. This feels kind of like a breakthrough for us. Maybe now we’ll finally realize that we can compete with the best.”

This week at Boulder Country Club, Oregon junior Caroline Inglis (left) was the best out of a stellar field that featured two of the world’s top 10-ranked women’s amateurs. Inglis recorded the first individual victory of her college career, and her 206 score was the best overall in Pac-12 Championships history, though not in relation to par. She became the first individual or team Pac-12 champion Oregon has produced.

“It’s awesome, really surreal,” said Inglis, who called it her top golf accomplishment. “I’m kind of speechless right now. The Pac-12s have such a great field. The are so many good players and so much good competition. That’s the part that makes it really special. I know I can stack up against them now.”

Inglis won despite a double bogey on No. 17, where she pulled her tee shot into the water and hit her approach over the green. But with her lead down to two, she nestled a chip shot on No. 18 to within a foot of the cup for a par to close with a 4-under 67.

UCLA’s Bronte Law, the 2014 English Women’s Amateur champion, and Arizona’s Lindsey Weaver tied for second place at 208. It was Weaver’s second consecutive runner-up finish at the Pac-12 meet. Noemi Jimenez of Arizona State, like Law ranked in the top 10 in the world among women’s amateurs, took fourth at 209.

Meanwhile, CU’s Keating shot the low round of her college career — by three strokes. She racked up seven birdies on the day, including ones on each of the last two holes. According to Boulder Country Club director of golf Kevin Bolles, she briefly held the women’s course record with her 66. Arizona’s Wanasa Zhou, playing just three groups behind Keating, proceeded to make the women’s course record her own with a bogey-free 6-under-par 65.

“It’s unbelievable,” Keating said of her day. “I can’t even explain the feelings I’m feeling right now. It’s so exciting to share this with my team and have them come and hug me after my last putt. It’s amazing, and having it be at one of our home courses makes it even that much more special.”

Noted Kelly about Keating: “She’s been so close all semester. I keep saying she’s hitting it like a tour pro, and she really is. For those birdies to finally convert for her is great. She kept knocking on the door and it finally opened for her. And her dad was watching. I’m thrilled for her.”

Lee, who had recorded five consecutive top-10 finishes, placed 12th on Wednesday at 215. CU teammate Brittany Fan (219) was 21st, Natalie Vivaldi (226) 38th, and Jamie Oleksiew (235) 51st.

CU will now wait for Monday’s announcement of the fields for the four NCAA regional tournaments. Arizona gained an automatic berth on Wednesday with its Pac-12 title, but the Buffs should have no problem earning an at-large spot.

For all the team and individual scores from the Pac-12 meet, CLICK HERE.
 

Here are the local scores for the various conference tournaments that concluded on Wednesday.

Pac-12 Women
April 20-22, 2015 (final) at Par-71 Boulder CC
5. (out of 11 teams) Colorado 296-289-283–868
5. Alexis Keating 72-72-66–210; 12. Esther Lee 76-68-71–215; 21. Brittany Fan 73-75-71–219; 38. Natalie Vivaldi 75-76-75–226; 51. Jamie Oleksiew 79-74-82–235.

Summit League Women
April 20-22, 2015 (final) in Seaside, Calif.
1. (out of 9 teams; won by 18) Denver 307-312-307–926
1. (won by 2) Elyse Smidinger 77-75-75–227; 3. Jessica Carty 74-82-75–231; 8. Isabel Southard 79-79-80–238; 8. Aleana Groenhout 83-78-77–238; 14. Mariell Bruun 77-80-84–241.

Mountain West Women
April 20-22, 2015 (final)  in Rancho Mirage, Calif.
6. (out of 9 teams) Colorado State 304-299-310–913
8. Allie Andersen 74-72-76–222; 11. Mikayla Tatman 75-75-74–224; 31. Elisabeth Rau 82-74-78–234; 39. Sarah Archuleta 78-81-82–241; 39. Jessa LaBarbera 77-78-86–241.
Also
14. Former Coloradan Paige Spiranac, San Diego State, 72-77-76–225; 29. Coloradan Samantha Stancato, Wyoming, 75-84-74–233; 43. Coloradan Taylor Dorans, Wyoming, 77-84-82–243.

Bronte Law doesn’t loom large stature-wise — she checks in at about 5-foot-4 — but she has made a habit of coming up big when she laces up her golf shoes.

Her record over the last year speaks for itself: 2014 English Women’s Amateur champ, third-place individual finish in the Women’s World Amateur Team Championships last September, two individual college titles this season, and currently No. 7 in the women’s world amateur ranks.

And on Tuesday in the Pac-12 Women’s Championships at Boulder Country Club, the UCLA sophomore showed what sets her apart as a 4-under-par 67 gave her the individual lead in arguably the toughest conference meet in the country.

Even though she’s relatively small, the 20-year-old has laid down the Law by regularly hitting it by most of her competitors. That’s led to her playing the three par-5s at Boulder Country Club in 5 under par for two days.

“For a short person, I don’t hit it too short,” she said with a smile on Tuesday. “It definitely gives me a huge advantage. Some of the par-5s today, I was hitting driver-6-iron, which makes a huge difference with some of the girls hitting 3-wood or they can’t reach (the green in two). I use it to my advantage. Because I hit it pretty straight as well, it definitely helps here. But knowing where to push it and hold back is really important on this course.”

After finishing birdie-birdie on Tuesday, Law (pictured above) sits at 5-under-par 137 going into Wednesday’s final round. Teammate Erynne Lee (70-68) is in second place, so it should come as no surprise that the No. 3-ranked Bruins share the team lead after two rounds. But the fact that No. 28 Oregon is tied for the top spot with them at 5-over-par 573 is noteworthy, especially with four of the top seven teams in the country competing in Boulder this week.

No. 6 Arizona (574) and No. 7 Washington (576) are also both still in the hunt for the Pac-12 title.

The host University of Colorado, ranked 39th by Golfstat, jumped three spots on the leaderboard on Tuesday, now sharing fifth place with top-ranked Southern California at 585. And the Buffs surged despite four of their five players bogeying their final hole (No. 9) on Tuesday. That includes CU’s top two players this week, Esther Lee and Alexis Keating, who missed par putts of inside 2 1/2 feet to conclude their rounds.

“We’d like to play No. 9 over,” said coach Anne Kelly, whose Buffs nevertheless cut seven strokes off their first-round total. “In every tournament, especially this one, you can’t let shots like that slip away. But overall it can’t take away from the way the (CU golfers) played today and how hard they fought. I’m really proud of them.”

Indeed, despite the rough finish, CU recorded the fourth-best score on Tuesday (289).

“I knew we would play better today,” Keating said. “We had some girls that didn’t play their best (Monday). I had full faith that they were going to come out today and make up for that. We’re a team and we’re here for each other. We play well for each other and pick up the slack when it’s needed. That’s what we do.”

Lee (left) and Keating share 12th place individually at 2-over-par 144. While Keating fired her second straight 72, Lee rebounded from a 76 Monday to post a 68 on Tuesday. The Buffs’ top player didn’t make a bogey until missing her 30-inch putt on her final hole.

“It lipped around the entire hole,” said the sophomore transfer from Duke. “If I even tried to do that, I couldn’t. It was some bad luck.

“But overall today was a lot better (than Monday). I kind of pulled myself out of my head a little bit. I was so focused yesterday on trying to go low that I kind of put a mental block on myself and I wasn’t feeling my game like I normally would. Today I just tried to be myself and more calm and just feel the club and the ball instead of forcing it.”

Lee, a native of Pueblo who moved to California as a 6-year-old, is looking for her sixth consecutive top-10 individual finish in the spring portion of the schedule.

As for Law, though the individual title is within her grasp as she holds a one-stroke lead, that isn’t her priority.

“That’s not something I’m thinking about right now,” said Law, who is one of the main contenders for the Annika Award, given to the top women’s college player in the country. “My main priority is to play well for the team. There’s no other focus than to be the best person I can be.”

This week marks the second big tournament Law has played in Colorado. In 2013, she represented Europe in the 2013 Junior Solheim Cup that was contested at Inverness Golf Club.

Joining Law and Lee in the hunt for the individual title are Arizona State’s Noemi Jimenez, Arizona’s Lindsey Weaver and first-round leader Caroline Inglis of Oregon, who share third place at 139. Jimenez, the No. 6-ranked women’s amateur in the world, made it to 7 under par overall on Tuesday, but played her final six holes in 4 over par. Earlier in the round, she eagled the 389-yard, par-4 first hole (her 10th).

Wednesday’s final-round tee times will range from 9 to 10:52 a.m.

For all the team and individual scores, CLICK HERE.
 

Here are the local scores for the various conference tournaments being played early this week.

Pac-12 Women
April 20-22, 2015 at Par-71 Boulder CC
5. (out of 11 teams) Colorado 296-289–585
12. Esther Lee 76-68–144; 12. Alexis Keating 72-72–144; 25. Brittany Fan 73-75–148; 35. Natalie Vivaldi 75-76–151; 42. Jamie Oleksiew 79-74–153.

Summit League Women
April 20-22, 2015 in Seaside, Calif.
1. (out of 9 teams; leads by 8) Denver 307-312–619
2. Elyse Smidinger 77-75–152; 4. Jessica Carty 74-82–156; 5. Mariell Bruun 77-80–157; 9. Isabel Southard 79-79–158; 17. Aleana Groenhout 83-78–161.

Mountain West Women
April 20-22, 2015 in Rancho Mirage, Calif.
6. (out of 9 teams) Colorado State 304-299–603
5. Allie Andersen 74-72–146; 14. Mikayla Tatman 75-75–150; 28. Jessa LaBarbera 77-78–155; 30. Elisabeth Rau 82-74–156; 37. Sarah Archuleta 78-81–159.
Also
10. Former Coloradan Paige Spiranac, San Diego State, 72-77–149; 37. Coloradan Samantha Stancato, Wyoming, 75-84–159; 40. Coloradan Taylor Dorans, Wyoming, 77-84–161.

Big Sky Women
April 19-21, 2015 (final) in Chandler, Ariz.
7. (out of 12 teams) Northern Colorado 303-312-305–920
4. Amanda Myers 71-72-80–223; 21. Baile Winslow 78-78-74–230; 29. Christina Ferreira 78-81-74–233; 34. Nicole Okada 76-82-78–236; 50. Kala Keltz 89-81-79–249.
Also
11. Coloradan Jaylee Tait, Montana State, 81-76-69–226.

RMAC Women
April 20-21, 2015 (final) in Avondale, Ariz.
Colorado-Based Team Scores — 1. Metro State 301-298–599; 2. CSU-Pueblo 308-310–618; 6. Regis 310-329–639; 4. Colorado Mesa 314-311–625; 5. Adams State 315-311–626; 7. CU-Colorado Springs 318-328–646; 8. Colorado Christian 334-325–659; 12. Fort Lewis 372-386–758.
Top 5 Individuals — 1. Leina Kim, CSU-Pueblo 69-66–135; 2. Julie Sanchez, CSU-Pueblo, 74-71–145; 3. (tie) Cha Cha Willhoite, Metro State, 72-75–147; Nathalie Gallacher, Metro State, 74-73–147; Bobbi Pierson, Western New Mexico 72-75–147.

RMAC Men
April 20-21, 2015 (final) in Goodyear, Ariz.
Colorado-Based Team Scores — (1. Western New Mexico won with an 883 total); 2. Colorado School of Mines 300-281-307–888; 3. Colorado Christian 296-303-290–889; 4. CSU-Pueblo 292-296-305–893; 5. CU-Colorado Springs 304-300-305–909; 6. Colorado Mesa 302-302-318–922; 7. Regis 293-314-317–924; 8. Fort Lewis 329-310-314–953; 10. Adams State 323-327-326–990.
Top 5 Individuals — 1. (tie) Nathaniel Goddard, Colorado Christian, 74-74-72–217; Nick Berry, Mines, 74-64-79–217; Harry Wetton, Western New Mexico, 71-76-70–217; 4. Patrick Skakel, CU-Colorado Springs, 70-71-77–218; 5. Andrew Kennedy, Colorado Christian, 71-76-72–219.
 

Noemi Jimenez was named the Pac-12 Conference’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year in women’s golf on Sunday for her performance in the classroom. And on Wednesday she’d like nothing better than to pull off a clean sweep of sorts by winning the conference title.

The senior at Arizona State, who’s No. 6 in the women’s world amateur golf rankings, made a nice first step in that regard on Monday by posting one of just two sub-70 scores at Boulder Country Club in the first round of the 54-hole Pac-12 Conference meet.

Jimenez, a Spaniard, eagled her first hole (No. 10) from 25 feet on Monday — “it was a great eagle, I have to say,” she said — en route to a 2-under-par 69. That leaves the 2014 NCAA West Regional champion two strokes behind leader Caroline Inglis, a junior at Oregon.

“It would be the best week of the year” to capture both the scholarship award and the league title, said Jimenez (pictured above), who owns a 3.8 grade-point average as an Interdisciplinary Studies major. “I was really happy for the prize I received yesterday, so why not? If I can win the tournament too, that would be awesome. It would be really nice because I’m a senior.”

Inglis, who has posted top-10 finishes in each of her last four tournaments, made five birdies in her 67 on Monday. Six players joined Inglis and Jimenez in breaking par by opening with 70s. That includes UCLA’s Bronte Law, the No. 7-ranked women’s amateur in the world, and Stanford’s Mariah Stackhouse, who started her round with an eagle on the 389-yard, par-4 first hole.

With an even-par 284 total, Oregon leads the way team-wise in the Pac-12 meet, which features nine programs ranked in the top 40 in the nation. The Ducks entered the week No. 7 out of the Pac-12 teams, so it’s quite an upset that they’re on top after round 1. Defending champion Stanford (286) is second, while UCLA, ranked third in the country, is third at 287.

The host University of Colorado sits in eighth place at 296 despite its No. 1 player, sophomore Esther Lee, struggling to a 76, a score four strokes above her spring average.

“We’re a little disappointed,” CU coach Anne Kelly said. “It wasn’t our best start — a couple of the players did mention they were more nervous on the first tee today than they have been for a long time — but the team seemed to settle in and finished up pretty well. Unfortunately, Esther just had a bad day. She’s a great player, but in golf that happens. I’m proud of the other girls for stepping up and playing pretty well.”

Junior Alexis Keating led the way for CU with a 1-over-par 72, good for 12th place after a three-putt bogey on the 18th hole.

“I’m feeling really good about everything, but I just needed a few more putts to drop,” she said. “There were a couple of tough pin placements but it was a ton of fun. It had a blast.”

Inglis (left) seemed to have a better handle on the greens than just about anyone as she holed “five or six” putts of longer than 15 feet.

“It was a good day. It was fun,” she said. “I putted really well. I didn’t even hit the ball that well, but my putting was really good today. I wasn’t hitting it close, but I was making a lot of 15-, 20-, 25-footers, which isn’t always the case in golf. It was pretty nice to have some of those go in. … I know my game and I know I’m cable of going low, (but) 67 is an awesome score.”

Inglis’ Oregon team is ranked No. 28 in the nation, according to Golfstat — which is pretty good, but not great by Pac-12 standards.

“Going into postseason, it’s kind of ‘go time’,” she said. “It’s time to peak and play well. It’s a great start to the tournament. Hopefully we can follow it up with more good rounds.”

Meanwhile, 2013 NCAA champion Annie Park from Southern California opened with a 74 and shares 26th place.

For all the team and individual scores, CLICK HERE.
 

Here are the local scores for the various conference tournaments being played early this week.

Pac-12 Women
April 20-22, 2015 at Par-71 Boulder CC
8. (out of 11 teams) Colorado 296
12. Alexis Keating 72; 21. Brittany Fan 73; 33. Natalie Vivaldi 75; 37. Esther Lee 76; 49. Jamie Oleksiew 79.

Summit League Women
April 20-22, 2015 in Seaside, Calif.
T1. (out of 9 teams) Denver 307
*1. Jessica Carty 74; *7. Elyse Smidinger 77; *7. Mariell Bruun 77; *13. Isabel Southard 79; 25. Aleana Groenhout 83.
* — indicates an All-Summit League first-team player.

Mountain West Women
April 20-22, 2015 in Rancho Mirage, Calif.
7. (out of 9 teams) Colorado State 304
9. Allie Andersen 74; 14. Mikayla Tatman 75; 24. Jessa LaBarbera 77; 29. Sarah Archuleta 78; 41. Elisabeth Rau 82.
Also
3. Former Coloradan Paige Spiranac, San Diego State, 72; 14. Coloradan Samantha Stancato, Wyoming, 75; 24. Coloradan Taylor Dorans, Wyoming, 77.

Big Sky Women
April 19-21, 2015 in Chandler, Ariz.
7. (out of 12 teams) Northern Colorado 303-312–615
2. Amanda Myers 71-72–143; 28. Baile Winslow 78-78–156; 37. Nicole Okada 76-82–158; 41. Christina Ferreira 78-81–159; 50. Kala Keltz 89-81–170.
Also
33. Coloradan Jaylee Tait, Montana State, 81-76–157.

RMAC Women
April 20-21, 2015 in Avondale, Ariz.
Colorado-Based Team Scores — 1. Metro State 301; 3. CSU-Pueblo 308; 4. Regis 310; 5. Colorado Mesa 314; 6. Adams State 315; 7. CU-Colorado Springs 318; 8. Colorado Christian 334; 12. Fort Lewis 372.
Top 5 Individuals — 1. (tie) Leina Kim, CSU-Pueblo 69; Mary Driscol, Western New Mexico 69; 3. (tie) Cha Cha Willhoite, Metro State, 72; Bobbi Pierson, Western New Mexico 72; 5. (tie) Julie Sanchez, CSU-Pueblo, 74; Nathalie Gallacher, Metro State, 74; Nicole Hulbert, Regis, 74.

RMAC Men
April 20-21, 2015 in Goodyear, Ariz.
Colorado-Based Team Scores — 1. Colorado School of Mines 300-281–581; 3. CSU-Pueblo 292-296–588; 4. Colorado Christian 296-303–599; 5. CU-Colorado Springs 304-300–604 and Colorado Mesa 302-302–604; 7. Regis 293-314–607; 8. Fort Lewis 329-310–639; 9. Adams State 323-327–650.
Top 5 Individuals — 1. Nick Berry, Mines, 74-64–138; 2. Patrick Skakel, CU-Colorado Springs, 70-71–141; 3. (tie) Nathaniel Goddard, Colorado Christian, 74-74–145; Conrad Smith, Mines, 75-70–145; 5. (tie) Hayden Ritter, CSU-Pueblo, 73-73–146; Calum Hill, Western New Mexico, 72-74–146.

The head coach and her players are set to embark on the spring portion of their schedule, which begins Sunday at the Wildcat Invitational in Tucson, Ariz. And a perfect convergence of events could make it the most memorable semester in the 18 years the CU women’s program has existed.

What’s in store for the Buffs?

First, a 5,700-square-foot indoor practice facility, complete with five heated hitting bays, is tentatively scheduled to open later this month at Colorado National Golf Club, the Buffs’ home course in Erie. The CU women will share the George Boedecker Jr. Golf Practice Facility with the Buff men.

Second, the CU women will be the host team when an NCAA Championship tournament is played in Colorado for the first time ever. The women’s NCAA West Regional is scheduled for May 10-12 at Colorado National.

Third, in a matter of ideal timing for the Buffs, Kelly believes she has the best team in the history of the CU women’s program. After a fall schedule in which the Buffs posted one team victory, they’re ranked 20th in the nation by Golfweek, 23rd by Golfstat and 24th by the coaches.

“It’s a very exciting semester,” said Kelly, CU’s women’s head coach since 1997. “To see this all come true — getting the golf course a couple of years ago, the (practice) facility about to be completed, and hosting this big tournament — it’s great for CU golf, but it’s also great for women’s golf in general.”

If ever there was a semester where the Buffs can make inroads nationally, it’s this one. They have two seniors (Emily Talley, pictured, and Jessica Wallace) who were first-team All-Big 12 Conference players last season. And sophomore Alex Stewart, a transfer from Purdue, is currently the No. 7-ranked women’s amateur in the world, according to Golfweek/amateurgolf.com.

Last month, Stewart was a contender in two prestigious women’s amateur tournaments in Florida, finishing fourth in the South Atlantic Amateur and making it to the match play semifinals of the Jones/Doherty Women’s Amateur. Last year, Stewart was runner-up in the Women’s Trans National.

“Quite honestly, this is probably the best team that’s been here (at CU) so far,” Kelly said. “They’re committed to the team and to their games. They’d like nothing more than to see the team go as far as it can. To have players like that is pretty nice. All of them are excited to play an (NCAA) regional at our home course.”

In addition to Wallace, Talley and Stewart, the Coleman twins — sophomores Jenny and Kristin — make up CU’s normal travel squad.

Twenty-four teams will qualify for the women’s NCAA West Regional, one of three regional tournaments overall. If other Colorado-based teams earn regional berths, they’ll also play at Colorado National in May. Given how highly it’s ranked, CU shouldn’t have a problem earning a regional berth. But the Buffs have bigger things in mind, namely gaining a spot in the NCAA Finals.

The Buffs have qualified for NCAA regionals twice, but have never made it to the Finals.

“Our goal is not to make it to regionals, but to make it to the Championship (finals),” Kelly said. “We definitely have talented players that are capable of that.”

While CU has high expectations given the significant stakes this semester, Kelly has been careful to keep things on an even keel for her team.

“Any extra pressure in golf is not beneficial,” she said. “If we keep doing what we’re doing and play the way we’re capable, I think we’ll be fine.

“I have high hopes and I know what kind of players they are. We have depth and are committed. But golf is such a fickle game. You don’t want to get ahead of yourself. You play your best golf when you stay in the present.”

This will be the second consecutive May that Colorado National has hosted an NCAA regional. Last year, a men’s regional was held there, though the host CU men’s team didn’t qualify. Colorado State not only made it in, but advanced to the NCAA Finals.