FRANKLIN, Tenn. – Texas A&M women's golf's Jennie Park finished runner-up at the NCAA Franklin Regional and Zoe Slaughter tied for the fourth-lowest round in program history on Wednesday to lead the team to a stunning six-stroke comeback, propelling the No. 15 Aggies to their first NCAA Championship berth since 2015.
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No. 21 Duke was out six strokes in front of the Aggies at the start of the final round, but Slaughter put together a historic 7-under 65 and Park capped off a magnificent tournament, going 8-under 208 to tie for second at the regional. The Blue Devils' Anne Chen had an eight-foot putt on No. 18 to send Duke and A&M to a playoff, but just missed it on the high side to allow the Maroon & White to advance with the final spot.
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The Aggies' 5-under 283 in round three was tied for the second lowest regional round in program history, matching the second round of the 2015 San Antonio Regional.
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"We answered the call today and took care of business," head coach Gerrod Chadwell said. "I know that we learned a lot about ourselves today. Zoe [Slaughter] is capable this day in and day out. To do that in this situation is very impressive and I am really proud of her. Jennie was in control of the ball today and gave us a chance this week with how well she played. This was a total team effort, and our fight was incredible. I am excited for our crew and can't wait to get to Grayhawk!"
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Park (69-66-73—208) recorded the second runner-up finish of her junior campaign. She tied with Wake Forest's Rachel Kuehn and Alabama's Polly Mack (-11) took home the individual title.
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Slaughter (73-76-65—214) erupted on the front nine to start the day, knocking down five birdies on Nos. 2, 4, 6, 8 and 9. She continued the sharp play after the turn, holing three more birdies and finishing the regional at 2-under 214 tied for 11th.
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Cernousek (73-78-71—222) turned in a 1-under 71 in the final round and tied for 33rd. Blanca Fernández GarcÃa-Poggio (74-79-74—227) and Hailee Cooper (74-73-83—232) tied for 45th and 53rd, respectively.
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Also advancing were host and regional champion Vanderbilt (-16), No. 9 Alabama (-8) and Wake Forest (-3).
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Next Up
The 15th-ranked Aggies will head to the NCAA Championship in Scottsdale, Arizona, at the Grayhawk Golf Club May 20-25.
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Team Standings
1 – Vanderbilt (-16)
2 – Alabama (-8)
3 – Wake Forest (-3)
4 – Texas A&M (+3)
5 – Duke (+4)
6 – UTSA (+11)
7 – BYU (+15)
8 – Oregon State (+19)
9 – Kent State (+27)
10 – Augusta (+32)
11 – Boston University (+36)
12 – Austin Peay State (+66)
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Follow the Aggies
Visit 12thman.com for more information on Texas A&M women's golf. Fans can keep up to date with the A&M women's golf team on Facebook, Instagram, and on Twitter by following @AggieWomensGolf.
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No. 21 Duke was out six strokes in front of the Aggies at the start of the final round, but Slaughter put together a historic 7-under 65 and Park capped off a magnificent tournament, going 8-under 208 to tie for second at the regional. The Blue Devils' Anne Chen had an eight-foot putt on No. 18 to send Duke and A&M to a playoff, but just missed it on the high side to allow the Maroon & White to advance with the final spot.
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The Aggies' 5-under 283 in round three was tied for the second lowest regional round in program history, matching the second round of the 2015 San Antonio Regional.
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"We answered the call today and took care of business," head coach Gerrod Chadwell said. "I know that we learned a lot about ourselves today. Zoe [Slaughter] is capable this day in and day out. To do that in this situation is very impressive and I am really proud of her. Jennie was in control of the ball today and gave us a chance this week with how well she played. This was a total team effort, and our fight was incredible. I am excited for our crew and can't wait to get to Grayhawk!"
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Park (69-66-73—208) recorded the second runner-up finish of her junior campaign. She tied with Wake Forest's Rachel Kuehn and Alabama's Polly Mack (-11) took home the individual title.
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Slaughter (73-76-65—214) erupted on the front nine to start the day, knocking down five birdies on Nos. 2, 4, 6, 8 and 9. She continued the sharp play after the turn, holing three more birdies and finishing the regional at 2-under 214 tied for 11th.
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Cernousek (73-78-71—222) turned in a 1-under 71 in the final round and tied for 33rd. Blanca Fernández GarcÃa-Poggio (74-79-74—227) and Hailee Cooper (74-73-83—232) tied for 45th and 53rd, respectively.
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Also advancing were host and regional champion Vanderbilt (-16), No. 9 Alabama (-8) and Wake Forest (-3).
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Next Up
The 15th-ranked Aggies will head to the NCAA Championship in Scottsdale, Arizona, at the Grayhawk Golf Club May 20-25.
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Team Standings
1 – Vanderbilt (-16)
2 – Alabama (-8)
3 – Wake Forest (-3)
4 – Texas A&M (+3)
5 – Duke (+4)
6 – UTSA (+11)
7 – BYU (+15)
8 – Oregon State (+19)
9 – Kent State (+27)
10 – Augusta (+32)
11 – Boston University (+36)
12 – Austin Peay State (+66)
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| Place | Team/Player | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Overall |
| 4 | Texas A&M | 289 (+1) | 295 (+7) | 283 (-5) | 867 (+3) |
| T2 | Jennie Park | 69 (-3) | 66 (-6) | 73 (+1) | 208 (-8) |
| T11 | Zoe Slaughter | 73 (+1) | 76 (+4) | 65 (-7) | 214 (-2) |
| T33 | Adela Cernousek | 73 (+1) | 78 (+6) | 71 (-1) | 222 (+6) |
| T45 | Blanca Fernández GarcÃa-Poggio | 74 (+2) | 79 (+7) | 74 (+2) | 227 (+11) |
| T53 | Hailee Cooper | 74 (+2) | 75 (+3) | 83 (+11) | 232 (+16) |
Follow the Aggies
Visit 12thman.com for more information on Texas A&M women's golf. Fans can keep up to date with the A&M women's golf team on Facebook, Instagram, and on Twitter by following @AggieWomensGolf.