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AJGA alumnae lead University of Arizona to NCAA title

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Finals

Of the 10 women representing No. 8 seed University of Arizona and No. 2 seed University of Alabama in the 2018 NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championship, eight were AJGA alumnae.

In fact, the final match came down to a playoff between two former AJGA members. Arizona’s Haley Moore of Escondido, California, defeated Alabama’s Lakareber Abe of Angleton, Texas, on the 19th hole after Abe forced the extra hole with a win on No. 18. Moore’s birdie on the 19th hole sealed the victory and gave the Arizona women’s team its fourth national title and first title since 2000.

It was a history-making day at Karsten Creek Golf Club, the home course to Oklahoma State University’s men’s and women’s golf teams and the site of the NCAA Championship. It was the first time a No. 8 seed had ever won an NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championship. Moore, a three-time AJGA champion who posted a 4-0-0 record as a member of the 2015 Wyndham Cup West Team, also etched her name into the record books when she became one of seven players ever to go 3-0-0 in match play in the golf championships.

Fellow AJGA alumna Sandra Nordaas of Drobak, Norway, battled against Angelica Moresco of Caldogno, Italy, up until the 18th hole when Nordaas sealed a crucial victory for Arizona 1-up. In addition to Nordaas’s victory for the Wildcats, Yu Sang Hou of Taipei City, Taiwan, earned a key victory against Alabama’s Lauren Stephenson of Lexington, South Carolina, 4-and-3.

Semifinals

Of the 20 players in the semifinals, 16 were AJGA alumnae. Alabama and Stanford University had their rosters made up entirely of AJGA alumnae.

Stanford was led by Shannon Aubert of Champions Gate, Florida, and Ziyi Wang of Beijing, China, who each own AJGA victories. Aubert won the 2008 Medicus Preseason Junior at Rochester and was a 2012 first-team Rolex Junior All-American. Wang won the 2013 AJGA Junior at Centennial along with the 2012 AJGA Junior at Ruby Hill.