OKLAHOMA CITY – Even with windy and hot conditions at Lincoln Park Golf Course, records continue to fall at the 25th NAIA Women's Golf National Championship in Oklahoma City. For the third day in a row, the team scoring record has fallen, and with 18 holes to play, the UBC Thunderbirds hold a modest lead.
UBC fired a 294 to open a 5-shot lead on Keiser, whose 296 leaves them nine strokes clear of third place SCAD-Savannah (Ga.). The Thunderbirds have a score of 884, Keiser (Fla.) is at 889, and SCAD-Savannah (Ga.) is in the clubhouse at 898. Those are the first three times in Championship history that a team has posted a 54-hole total of less than 900 strokes.
The old record for a 54-hole low was also held by British Columbia, a team count of 908 through three rounds when it won the national title in 2012. The Thunderbirds went on to set a record that weekend with a 72-hole total of 1,211 – a record that has since been bettered twice.
"We played a really solid round today and tournament so far, the women have played very consistent golf and made a lot of pars an taken the birdies when they come," said UBC head coach Chris MacDonald. "The wind was really up the last six holes which affected all the teams but we held strong and gained a couple of strokes today."
UBC will be chasing their fifth NAIA national title on Friday.
Junior Kate Johnston of Ayr, Ont., is second in the individual standings at even-par 216 (75-69-72). Her even-par round of 72 on Thursday included birdies on the fourth, fifth, 13th and 17th holes.
Senior Avril Li is in a six-way tie for fourth place with a score of 2-over 218 (71-73-74). The senior from Port Moody, B.C., is competing in her last NAIA championship tournament, and shot a 2-over 74 Thursday. Li birdied the fifth, 10th and 16th holes.
Rookie Esther Lee (Sao Paulo, Brazil) made birdies on five straight holes – from No. 3 to No. 7 – and added another on the 12th en route to a 1-under 71, her best round of the tournament. Lee is tied for 19th at 7-over 223 (73-79-71).
Sophomore Shania Remandaban is tied for 41st at 11-over 227 (75-75-77). Thursday's highlight for the Coquitlam, B.C., golfer was a birdie on the 17th hole, a par-3. Cecile Kwon is tied for 88th with a score of 27-over 243 (78-82-83). The second-year player from Maple Ridge, B.C., birdied the par-5 fifth hole on Thursday.
Five different scoring records have fallen during the week. Oklahoma City set an 18-hole team record with a 287 in the first round, and UBC has set 36-hole (590) and 54-hole records.
Nine different teams have eclipsed the old record of 908 for 54-holes: UBC, Keiser, SCAD-Savannah, Oklahoma City (902), Dalton State (Ga.) (904), Loyola (La.) (904), Cumberlands (Ky.) (904), Cumberland (Tenn.) (905), and Northwestern Ohio (906).
"Tomorrow will be exciting for our young group, it will be a great test for these developing players to try to stay in the moment and take one shot at a time," commented MacDonald. "We are playing a solid team in Keiser, which has been ranked first in the NAIA all year long, and our consistency has kept us in the event. The team still has a lot of energy left. Our trainer Leena Yamaguchi has been doing a great job and Keri Moffat, our associate coach, has been amazing helping the team find a reliable game plan. I think we all feel we have another level we can reach as a team and hopefully that comes out in the final round with a few good breaks and extra putts falling our way."
Kwon will start off the final round for the Thunderbirds at 6:58 a.m. PT / 8:58 a.m. CT, as she will tee off from the first hole, followed by Remandaban, Lee, Li, and Johnston.