AU's Yoko finishes tied for 52nd at NCAA women’s golf championship
By Chris Rickerson | Sports editor
Augusta University’s Natalia Yoko shot 9-over-par in three rounds to finish tied for 52nd in the NCAA Division I women’s golf championship on Sunday, May 22, in Scottsdale, Ariz., at Grayhawk Golf Club's Raptor Course.
Yoko qualified for nationals as an individual after finishing tied for ninth at the NCAA Regional in Franklin, Tenn.
The course in Scottsdale was a par-72, 6340-yard course.
The opening round would be the highest scoring round for Yoko as she shot an 8-over-par 80. She bounced back in the second round on the second day, shooting a 2-over-par 74. Yoko shot her best in her third and final round with the 71, missing the cut for Monday’s concluding round by only two shots.
Rose Zhang of Stanford University won the individual national championship, shooting 6-under-par over four rounds. She is the 10th freshman to win the national crown.
Top-seeded Stanford and second-seeded Oregon were battling for the team title on May 25.
Yoko has now finished her senior season at AU. She had her best year as a Jaguar, winning her first collegiate tournament at the Valspar Augusta Invitational and being named all-conference first team and leading AU to the Southland Conference championship, the first in program history.
Although she was a senior this past season, Yoko, an Indonesian, has one extra year of eligibility due to the pandemic.
Contact Chris Rickerson at crickerson@augusta.edu.
The Jaguars’ Natalia Yoko watches a putt during the NCAA Division I golf championship tournament. (photo by C. Morgan Engel, special to the Bell Ringer)
