Georgia Returns To NCAAs For Third Consecutive Year

Georgia Women's Golf
NCAA Championships Notes
May 19-24 at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Par 72; 6368 Yards
Live Scoring

Complete Notes Package (PDF)

The Bulldogs' Probable Lineup
1. Jenny Bae – 5-3; Super Senior; Suwanee, Ga.; Collins Hill High School
• Runner-up at 2023 ANWA
• Has 2 best tourney scores in UGA history – 16- & 13-under
• Has recorded a school-record 23 par-or-better rounds this season
• 3-Time SEC Golfer of the Week this season (Oct. 13, Oct. 27 & April 5)

2. Jo Hua Hung – 5-4; Super Senior; New Taipei City, Taiwan; Chih Ping Senior High School
• Qualified for 2021 U.S. Open
• Top-20 finisher in all 6 appearances for UGA during 2023 calendar
• Opened 2023 slate by winning Lady Bulldog Individual Championship
• UGA's top individual at the Cougar Classic, Lady Bulldog & SECs

3: Isabella Holpfer – 5-7; Junior; Vienna, Austria; HAK Stegersbach
• Played for Austria in the 2022 World Amateur Team Championships
• Placed 14th at the European Nations Cup – Copa Sotogrande in April
• Qualified for the 2021 ANWA
• Runner-up at the R&A Girls Amateur in both 2018 & 2019

4. LoraLie Cowart – 5-4; Sophomore; Carrollton, Ga.; Carrollton High School
• Competed in 8 tourneys in 2022-23, including six individually
• Shot career-low 69 in Athens Regional
• Represented UGA at the 2022 NCAA Albuquerque Regional & NCAAs
• Won the 2020 National High School Golf Association Invitational

5. Candice Mahé – 5-8; Senior; Gourin, France; Lycee Sainte Jeanne D'Arc
• Top-10 finisher in 3 NCAA events – 5th at 2021 Regional, 3rd at 2022 Regional and 6th at 2022 NCAAs
• Defeated Rose Zhang in 2022 NCAA match play quarterfinals
• Competed in the 2021 ANWA
• Won 5 tourneys between 2015-19

SUB: Caterina Don – 5-6; Senior; Pinerolo, Italy; Istituto Maria Immacolata in Scuola Paritaria DM
• Earned 2nd collegiate victory at 2023 San Diego State Classic
• Shot a UGA-record 8-under 64 at 2021 Heroes Intercollegiate
• Won 2022 Joel Eaves Award for top GPA among UGA's female student-athletes who are seniors

Georgia Returns To NCAAs For Third Consecutive Year
The Georgia Bulldogs will return to Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz., this week to compete in the NCAA Women's Golf Championships for third straight season. The back-to-back-to-back appearances at the national championships are Georgia's first since reaching four in a row from 2006-09.

Georgia is one of 30 teams advancing to the newly expanded field for NCAA Championships in Arizona. The Bulldogs, who are ranked No. 24 by Golfweek and No. 28 by Golfstat, will be the No. 20 seed in Scottsdale. Georgia will be paired with Texas Tech and Michigan State for the first two rounds, teeing off in 11-minute intervals between at 10:05-11:49 a.m. ET on Friday and between 3:25-4:09 p.m. ET on Saturday. Live scoring throughout the tournament will be available at www.golfstat.com.

"We took it as a business trip and try to eliminate all the distractions," head coach Josh Brewer said. "We just try to treat it like a regular-season tournament other than flying in one day earlier. We're just relaxing the day we fly in. We're skipping the walkthrough also. You're allowed to walk the course the day before the practice round. It sounds like something you should do, but we also went out there in March and played Grayhawk then. Everyone on this team has seen the golf course a minimum of seven time so there's not much need to walk it."

In addition to the eight competitive and two practice rounds Georgia has played at Grayhawk over the past two NCAAs, the Bulldogs have logged two more loops prior to competing in the Clover Cup at Longbow Golf Club in Mesa in March of 2022 and 2023.

Georgia is coming off its most impressive performance of the season. Led by Jenny Bae, the Bulldogs swept the team and individual titles at last week's NCAA Athens Regional on their home University of Georgia Golf Course. Bae's 3-under 69 paced the Bulldogs to a 9-under 279 in the first round to set the tone for the week.

Both Georgia and Bae eventually finished the Regional at 13-under, the best team and individual postseason scores in program history. Overall, Bae's effort was the second-best in school history, while the team tally represented the fifth-best ever by the Bulldogs.

"We've been waiting all year to put a tournament together and win," Brewer said. "It's definitely nice. I do sense a difference. We're still very focused; whereas, in the past we've kind of relaxed after such a high performance. I don't get that feeling this time."

Georgia will likely stick with the same five golfers who notched top-25 individual finishes in Athens to open the NCAAs. In addition to Bae's victory, Jo Hua Hung was fourth, Isabella Holpfer tied for 14th, LoraLie Cowart tied for 20th and Candice Mahé tied for 24th. Caterina Don, one of three Bulldogs with an individual win this season, was the potential substitute in Athens and traveled to Arizona.

Georgia's No. 22 seed is relatively similar to its No. 20 spot it occupied year ago in Scottsdale. With Bae and Mahé tying for sixth individually – and making the Bulldogs the only team in the field with two top-10 finishers – Georgia was eighth following 72 holes of stroke play.

Georgia fell to Stanford, 3-2, in the quarterfinals in the Bulldogs' first appearance in match play since the format was instituted for the NCAA Championships in 2015. The match was extremely tight, as Georgia was the only team to force all five matches with the eventual national champions to at least 16 holes during the Cardinal's run to the 2023 title.

Georgia Owns Strong History In National Championship Play
Georgia has long been one of the college golf's premier women's programs, headlined by four total national titles – one team and three individual.

The Bulldogs won the 2001 NCAA team title at Mission In Resort and Club in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla. Individually, Terri Moody earned medalist honors at the 1981 AIAW Championships at the UGA Golf Course, while Cindy Schreyer and Vicki Goetze captured crowns at the 1984 and 1992 NCAA Championships, respectively.

Those performances are just the peak of Georgia's history. The Bulldogs are making their 25th appearance at the NCAA's finals site, which ranks ninth nationally as outlined below.

Dating back to 1979, when the AIAW still administered women's college athletics, the Bulldogs will be competing in their 29th national championships.

Georgia has made the most of those trips. The Bulldogs have posted 28 top-20 and 21 top-10 finishes over the last 44 national championship tourneys.

Individually, Georgia golfers have combined to record 23 top-10 and 38 top-20 efforts at the national championships, including Jenny Bae and Candice Mahé tying for sixth a year ago when the Bulldogs were the only team in the field with two top-10 finishers.

In addition, Heather Kuzmich and Tina Paternostro were the NCAA long drive champions in 1988 and 1991, respectively.

The team champion and medalist from every national championship since 1979 – as well as Georgia's finish and top individual from each year – can be found on Page 3 of this Notes package.

NCAA Women's Golf Finals Appearances
RK.   SCHOOL       No.
1.    Arizona St.     37
      Stanford   37
3.    USC          35
4.   Arizona      33
      Duke          33
      UCLA   33
7.   Texas         31
8.   Florida      28
9.       Georgia       25
10.   Oklahoma St.   24
* schools in bold competing in 2023 Championships

And It's Not Just The Women
Georgia's men's golf program sports an impressive national résumé as well, with a trio NCAA Championships – team titles in 1999 and 2005 and medalist George Hamer in 1946.

The Bulldogs qualified for their 51st NCAA Championships winning the NCAA Bath (Mich.) Regional on Wednesday.

Georgia is one of only four schools that have captured national titles in women's (2001) and men's (2005) golf during the 2000s along with Alabama (women in 2013, men in 2011), Stanford (women in 2007 & 2022, men in 2015) and UCLA (women in 2008, men in 2004 & 2011).

Georgia currently ranks No. 7 in all-time NCAA Championship finals site appearances on the men's side as outlined below.

NCAA Men's Golf Finals Appearances
RK.   SCHOOL       No.
1.       Oklahoma St.   74
2.   Texas          67
3. Arizona St.     58
      USC        58
5. Florida      55
      Stanford        55
7.    Georgia      51
8. Ohio State      49
Oklahoma      49
10. Houston      48
* schools in bold competing in 2023 Championships

Bulldogs, Bae Sweep NCAA Regional Titles...Again
Georgia and Jenny Bae completed their sweep of NCAA Regional team and individual titles for the second time in three years last week in Athens.

The Bulldogs and Bae also finished atop their respective leaderboards at the 2021 Columbus Regional.

Georgia has now won six Regional team titles, doing so in 1993, 1998, 1999, 2016, 2021 and 2023. Bulldog golfers have been Regional medalist four times – Reilley Rankin in 1998, Bailey Tardy in 2016 and Bae in both 2021 and 2023.

The Regional sweep also was Georgia's third in the last eight years under head coach Josh Brewer, dating back to the 2016 season. The Bulldogs and Stanford are the only two programs with three Regional sweeps during that time frame.

Bae Enjoying One OF Best Seasons Ever By A Bulldog
Jenny Bae has put together one of the strongest seasons ever by a Georgia Bulldog. She enters the NCAA Championships ranked No. 3 and No. 5 nationally by Golfstat and Golfweek, respectively.

Bae has eight top-5 finishes in 11 tourneys and is a combined 37-under over 32 rounds. She broke Georgia's single-season record with her 23rd par-or-better round last week. Bae's current season stroke average of 70.56 is .48 better than the current UGA record, as outlined below.

"It's been a special year, and it is kind of bittersweet seeing it come to an end," Josh Brewer said. "You never want to see a player like Jenny leave your program, but she's leaving it in the correct way as far as winning her second NCAA Regional and graduating from the University of Georgia in the same week last week. I believe in fairy tales, and she almost had it happen six weeks ago in Augusta, but maybe she'll get the fairy tail ending out there in Arizona."

UGA Single-Season Records
Par-Or-Better Rounds
RK.   GOLFER, SEASON          No.
1.   Jenny Bae, 2022-23              23
2.   Bailey Tardy, 2015-16                22
   Marta Silva Zamora, 2010-11   22
4.   Jillian Hollis, 2017-18          18
5.   Jo Hua Hung, 2021-22              16
       Harang Lee, 2015-16              16

Season Stroke Average
RK.   GOLFER, SEASON       AVG.
       Jenny Bae in 2022-23 – 70.56
1.   Jillian Hollis, 2017-18                 71.04
2.   Marta Silva Zamora, 2010-11   71.52
3.   Bailey Tardy, 2015-16          72.06
4.   Jillian Hollis, 2016-17             72.12
5.   Caterina Don, 2019-20         72.15

Bae Shines At Augusta
Jenny Bae's valiant comeback effort came up just short at the 2023 Augusta National Women's Amateur. Bae rallied from a six-shot deficit entering the final round to force a sudden-death playoff before Rose Zhang, the world's No. 1 ranked amateur, secured victory on the second extra hole.

Bae and Zhang finished 54 holes tied at 9-under 207. Bae closed with a 2-under 70, the low loop of the day and one of only three par-or-better efforts at Augusta National.

Bae quickly cut the deficit in half early in the final round before a weather delay. When play resumed, Bae posted birdies at No. 9, No. 13 and No. 17 to tie Zhang.

"To be honest I tried to avoid looking at the leaderboard for a little over the first nine holes," Bae said. "Then, I glanced back and saw that I was about a shot behind, and I was like 'I can do this. Let's get it.' I think the last three or four holes when the roaring was so big, I realized I had a good chance."

Both golfers parred No. 18, setting up the first playoff in the Augusta National Women's Amateur's four-tourney history. Bae and Zhang returned to No. 18 and again made par before moving on to No. 10, where Bae's approach went left of the green into pine straw. Zhang eventually converted a tap-in par to secure the win.

Bae's effort was a record-setting performance. She tied the ANWA record with seven first-round birdies and eventually broke the ANWA record with 16 birdies over 54 holes, topping the tally of 15 by Maria Fassi in 2019.

Plenty of ANWA Experience
All told, five current and future Bulldogs have now competed in the Augusta National Women's Amateur a combined seven times.

In addition to Jenny Bae's appearances in 2022 and 2023, signee Savannah de Bock, the 2022 European Ladies Amateur champion from Belgium, qualified this year; Caterina Don did so in 2019 and 2021; and Isabella Holpfer and Candice Mahé both played in the 2021 tourney.

SEC Leads NCAA Teams
A nation-leading and record-setting 13 Southeastern Conference teams earned 2023 NCAA Regional bids.

The league also had an NCAA-record 13 teams qualify for the 2013 field.

A nation-leading seven SEC teams have advanced to NCAA Championships. In addition to the Bulldogs, LSU is the No. 3 seed, South Carolina is No. 4, Mississippi State is No. 5 seed, Texas A&M is No. 6, Vanderbilt is No. 14 and Ole Miss is No. 15.

Trailing the SEC's seven teams in Scottsdale are the ACC with six, the Big 12 with five, the Pac 12 with four and the Big Ten and AAC both with two.

Trio Of Bulldogs Earn Wins
Jenny Bae, Caterina Don and Jo Hua Hung all have captured individual victories during the 2022-23 season.

Bae did so twice, posting the two best tournament scores in UGA's history.

She won the Illini Invitational last October by shooting 16-under to shatter Bailey Tardy's previous Georgia record – 12-under at the 2015 Windy City Collegiate – by four shots.

Bae's 13-under effort in NCAA Athens Regional last week moved into the No. 2 slot in the Bulldogs' record books.

Hung began 2023 by winning the Lady Bulldog Individual Championship, a one-day, 36-hole event at the UGA Golf Course. Hung recorded consecutive 71s to finish at 2-under 142.

Don notched her second win as a Bulldog at the San Diego State Classic at The Farms Golf Club in Rancho Sante Fe, Calif. She surged past Hung on the back nine in the final round with a quartet of birdies at No. 11, No. 13, No. 14 and No. 15.

UGA Produces Rare Sweep(s)
Georgia women's and men's teams swept NCAA Regional titles this spring. In addition to Bae leading the women to victory in Athens, Ben van Wyk paced the Bulldog men in their win in Bath, Mich.

That represents the first time that a school has swept Regionals championship in both genders since...the Georgia Bulldogs did so in 2016. That spring, Bailey Tardy and Grayson Sigg were medalists in Bryan, Texas and Tuscaloosa to lead Georgia to team titles at those sites.

In the process, both Georgia teams advanced to Scottsdale for the third consecutive year, one of just three schools to do so along with Florida State and Texas.

Bae, Don Earn SEC Honors
Jenny Bae and Caterina Don earned SEC Golfer of the Week accolades during the 2022-23 season.

Bae was tabbed three times. During the fall, she was recognized on both Oct. 13 – after she won the Illini Invitational – and Oct. 27 – following a fourth-place effort at the Stanford Intercollegiate. Bae was again honored on April 3 after finishing as runner-up at the Augusta National Women's Am.

Don's accolade came on Feb. 15 after she claimed medalist honors and led Georgia to a runner-up team finish in the San Diego State Classic.

Georgia Returns To NCAAs For Third Consecutive Year

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Players Mentioned

Jenny Bae

LoraLie Cowart

Caterina Don

Isabella Holpfer

Jo Hua Hung

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