WG: Bears Open Play in Sixth-Consecutive NCAA Championship

CARLSBAD, Calif. – Returning three players with experience on the national stage, the Baylor women's golf team is making its sixth-consecutive appearance in the NCAA Championship and third in a row at the challenging La Costa Spa & Resort.

Part of the early wave off the No. 1 tee on the par-72 North Course, the Bears are paired with Ohio State and Eastern Michigan for Friday's opening round and will start with tee times at 8:52 a.m. CT (6:52 a.m. PT).

"I put a lot of emphasis on making the national championship every year, because you can't win it if you're not there," said Baylor coach Jay Goble, whose team had four top-15 finishes from 2015-21 and is making his 10^th appearance overall at the NCAA Championship. "We have not played well at the national championship in a couple years, but I like where we're at. Half the team has experience at La Costa. If you've seen it before, that's half of the battle right there."

Hosting an NCAA regional for the first time, Baylor advanced through the Waco Regional with a third-place finish that included the tournament's low score in the final round at 6-under-par 274 at Ridgewood Country Club.

Senior Bridget Boczar birdied three of her last five holes and carded a 4-under 66 to tie for seventh at a career-best 4-under 206. Junior transfer Charlotte Brook tied for 15^th at 1-over 211, shooting 1-under 69 in the final round, while sophomore Malena Castro and junior Yurang Li tying for 24^th at 3-over 213.

"The way we not only finished the last two rounds, but more importantly, the way we finished the last six holes at 7-under, was really great," Goble said. "It's hard to say that's what I expected, but I believed we could do that. We got off to a really tight start on Monday. I think the pressure and the moment got us a little bit. But it just shows you how tough and resilient they are. They figured it out, calmed down and just played their games."

While Castro and Boczar made their NCAA Championship debut last year, senior Silje Ohma is finishing her collegiate career playing in nationals for the fourth time. Rosie Belsham is the only other player in program history to play in the NCAA Championship four times.

"Silje has been the backbone of our team for the last four years," Goble said of Ohma, who has a career scoring average of 73.21. "It's a pretty special feat to get to go play in the national championship all four years in college. She's had some good moments and some moments that she'd rather change at nationals, but I really believe that she has kind of saved the best for her last year. She's highly motivated."

Sticking with the same lineup he used at the Waco Regional, Goble has Boczar in the No. 1 spot, followed by Li, Castro, Ohma and Brook.

Live scoring is available at NCAA Championship, with the field of 30 teams trimmed to 15 after Sunday's third round and match play starting on Tuesday. Babygrande is providing live streaming coverage of the first three days, with Golf Channel televising the final round and match play.

For the latest news on the Baylor women's golf team, follow its official Facebook, X and Instagram accounts: @BaylorWGolf.

- BaylorBears.com -

WG: Bears Open Play in Sixth-Consecutive NCAA Championship

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Players Mentioned

Bridget Boczar

Charlotte Brook

Malena Castro

Yurang Li

Silje Ohma

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