The NC State women’s golf team’s season came to an end Wednesday at the NCAA Norman Regional, as the Wolfpack finished up the three-day event at the Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club in a tie for ninth place out of 18 schools.
The top six finishers advanced to the NCAA Championships, as the Pack came three spots and 10 strokes away from a trip to the final meet. NC State finished the meet with a team score of 881, good for 17-over-par. Texas won the regional with a score of 855 (-9).
The Wolfpack started the regional out hot on Monday and sat in second place with a 3-under-par 285, just one stroke behind the leader, Florida. Senior Laura Kowohl led the way for NC State, shooting a 3-under-par 69 to finish the day tied for second on the individual leaderboard.
Freshman Lea Klimentova also finished under par in the opening round for NC State, shooting a 1-under-par 71 to sit in a tie for 13th individually. Sophomore Monika Hartl opened her regional up with an even-par 72, and senior India Clyburn wrapped up the Pack’s scorers with a 1-over-par 73.
Senior Naomi Ko’s opening-round score was not counted towards the team score, as only the four-best scores each round are. Ko finished the first 18 at 9 over with an 81.
After the strong day one, the Wolfpack had a very disappointing day two, falling all the way down to a tie for 10th on the tournament leaderboard with a 16-over-par 304 and a two-round score of 589 (+13). The tough round for the Pack was tied for the 16th worst in the second round, as not a single NC State golfer shot under par.
Kowohl and Clyburn tied for the Pack’s best score in round two, with both shooting 1-over-par 73s. For Kowohl, this kept her in the top 15 individually as she finished day two tied for 14th at 2 under for the tournament.
Hartl regressed on day two with a 3-over-par 75. Klimentova and Ko both shot 11-over-par 83s on day two, with one of those rounds counting for the team score.
The Wolfpack gained a spot on the final day of competition to finish in a tie for ninth, as NC State shot a 4-over-par 292 in the final round. Hartl was the Pack’s best finisher on day three, shooting a 2-under-par 70, her best round of the meet.
Kowohl shot a 3-over-par 75 on the final day of competition, as her and Hartl both finished with three-round scores of 217 (+1), tied for 19th.
Clyburn wrapped up her NC State career with a 1-over-par 73, bringing her to 219 (+3) for the tournament to tie for 31st. Klimentova shot a 74 (+2) in the final round, finishing the meet with a 228 (+12) to finish 66th. Ko finished her NC State career with a third-round 81 (+9), as she finished the regional tied for 90th.
