COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Texas A&M women’s golfer Jennie Park finished runner-up at the NCAA Franklin Regional and Zoe Slaughter tied for the fourth-lowest round in program history on Wednesday to lead the team to a stunning six-stroke comeback, propelling the No. 15 Aggies to their first NCAA Championship berth since 2015.
No. 21 Duke was out six strokes in front of the Aggies at the start of the final round, but Slaughter put together a historic 7-under 65 and Park capped off a magnificent tournament, going 8-under 208 to tie for second at the regional. The Blue Devils’ Anne Chen had an eight-foot putt on No. 18 to send Duke and A&M to a playoff, but just missed it on the high side to allow the Maroon & White to advance with the final spot.
The Aggies’ 5-under 283 in round three was tied for the second lowest regional round in program history, matching the second round of the 2015 San Antonio Regional.
“We answered the call today and took care of business,” head coach Gerrod Chadwell said. “I know that we learned a lot about ourselves today. Zoe [Slaughter] is capable this day in and day out. To do that in this situation is very impressive and I am really proud of her. Jennie was in control of the ball today and gave us a chance this week with how well she played. This was a total team effort, and our fight was incredible. I am excited for our crew and can’t wait to get to Grayhawk!”
Park (69-66-73—208) recorded the second runner-up finish of her junior campaign. She tied with Wake Forest’s Rachel Kuehn and Alabama’s Polly Mack (-11) took home the individual title.
Slaughter (73-76-65—214) erupted on the front nine to start the day, knocking down five birdies on Nos. 2, 4, 6, 8 and 9. She continued the sharp play after the turn, holing three more birdies and finishing the regional at 2-under 214 tied for 11th.
Cernousek (73-78-71—222) turned in a 1-under 71 in the final round and tied for 33rd. Blanca Fernández García-Poggio (74-79-74—227) and Hailee Cooper (74-73-83—232) tied for 45th and 53rd, respectively.
Also advancing were host and regional champion Vanderbilt (-16), No. 9 Alabama (-8) and Wake Forest (-3).
Next Up
The 15th-ranked Aggies will head to the NCAA Championship in Scottsdale, Arizona, at the Grayhawk Golf Club May 20-25.
Team Standings
1 – Vanderbilt (-16)
2 – Alabama (-8)
3 – Wake Forest (-3)
4 – Texas A&M (+3)
5 – Duke (+4)
6 – UTSA (+11)
7 – BYU (+15)
8 – Oregon State (+19)
9 – Kent State (+27)
10 – Augusta (+32)
11 – Boston University (+36)
12 – Austin Peay State (+66)
Place
Team/Player
Round 1
Round 2
Round 3
Overall
4
Texas A&M
289 (+1)
295 (+7)
283 (-5)
867 (+3)
T2
Jennie Park
69 (-3)
66 (-6)
73 (+1)
208 (-8)
T11
Zoe Slaughter
73 (+1)
76 (+4)
65 (-7)
214 (-2)
T33
Adela Cernousek
73 (+1)
78 (+6)
71 (-1)
222 (+6)
T45
Blanca Fernández García-Poggio
74 (+2)
79 (+7)
74 (+2)
227 (+11)
T53
Hailee Cooper
74 (+2)
75 (+3)
83 (+11)
232 (+16)
