The trumpet spring has already arrived, sang Los Delinqüentes in their famous 2005 song. Something similar could also be said about the NCAA. With 17 days to go before the calendar makes it official, the reality is that from a competitive golf perspective, spring has burst into the university world with force, especially with a strong presence of Spanish golfers. It’s as if the scent of the Augusta National Amateur, already on the horizon, is permeating the golf clubs.
We have no less than four potential victories in sight in just 24 hours. The protagonists are Carla Bernat, Casilda Allendesalazar, Paula Martín, and Carolina López Chacarra. All of them in different tournaments. Let’s go one by one.
Bernat is the best positioned. The golfer from Castellón, who had a great performance in the past Open de España, playing as an amateur, is the standout leader of the Mountain View Collegiate, a tournament taking place at The Preserve at Saddlebrooke in Tucson, Arizona. The Kansas State golfer leads the tournament with 18 holes to go with a score of -6, after rounds of 70 and 68 strokes, with eight birdies and only two bogeys. She has a good cushion of four strokes over the second-placed Audrey Rischer (-2). The first and second rounds were played on Monday in a marathon day, and today, Tuesday, the third round will take place.
Carla is chasing her seventh career victory in the NCAA, which is no small feat. It would also be her second this season, where she also has a second place and three more top 10 finishes. In her seven appearances in the 24/25 season, she has never finished outside the top 20. Numbers that speak of impressive consistency. In this same tournament are Mar García (Cincinnati) and Julia Ballester (Kansas State), who are in 14th place, as well as Irene García Sánchez (Missouri), in 43rd place, and Cloe Amión (Miami), in 61st place.
The other two victory options to be resolved today belong to two Madrilenians, Casilda Allendesalazar (North Florida) and Paula Martín (Stanford). The first is playing the Momentum Transportation UNF Collegiate at the Jacksonville Golf and Country Club. She is in first place after two days with -4, tied with Anna Andrysova. Casilda has delivered two cards of one and three under par in the first day of competition. Today the third and final round will be played. In this same tournament, although her chances of victory seem remote, the Barcelona golfer Daniela Campillo (Louisiana Monroe) is well positioned. She is at a total of +4, eight off the lead, after two rounds of three and one over par.
If Bernat is seeking her seventh university career victory, Allendesalazar is pursuing her sixth, which is not bad at all; this one would have a very special flavour, as it would be her first with University of North Florida. The previous five were with Central Michigan, from where she transferred to the Sunshine State at the beginning of last season. In the year and a half she has been with her new team, she hasn’t won, but her results are not bad at all: five top 10 finishes in 14 tournaments.
Paula Martín, on the other hand, is in fourth place, three strokes off the lead with 18 holes to go in the Juli Inkster at Meadow Club Invitational, at the Meadow Club in Fairfax, California. The Madrid player from Stanford signed two cards of 67 and 70 strokes in the first double day of competition held yesterday. She has an eagle, eight birdies, and three bogeys. Today the last 18 holes are played. She needs to make up three strokes on the two leaders, Karen Tsuru and Lekky Xu, who share the top position at -10. It is the fifth tournament of the year for Paula. In the previous four, she has recorded a victory, a second place, a twelfth, and a fourteenth. Granite golf. In this same tournament is Lucía López Ortega (San Jose State), who is in 52nd place.
Finally, regarding the victory options, we must also include Carolina López Chacarra (PAR), who has started the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate very well, held at the Long Cove Golf Club in Hilton Head, South Carolina. However, in this tournament, only one of the three scheduled rounds has been played, so there is still plenty of room. Chacarra signed a PAR round on Monday, with two birdies and a double bogey. She is in seventh place, just three strokes off the lead held by Kendall Todd (Arkansas). In other words, she is fully in the fight.
Also with something to say, with 36 holes still to play (the tournament ends on Wednesday), are the Spanish players Julia Sánchez (Alabama) with +1, Ana Pina (Mississippi State) +2, Marta López (Kentucky) +2, and Rocío Tejedo (Louisiana State) +3. Further back are Anna Cañadó (Duke) with +4 and Balma Dávalos (Auburn) with +5.
Things are not going well for Josele Ballester in Los Cabos
On the other hand, regarding the boys, things are not going well for Josele Ballester in the The Cabo Collegiate tournament being held at the Twin Dolphin Club in Mexico. The player from Castellón, who recently achieved a magnificent top 20 in the Mexico Open of the PGA Tour, has signed two rounds of 74 and 76 strokes and is in 49th place, far from the positions where victory is being contested. A partial of six over in holes 15 and 17 has taken a toll on him. The leader here is Tyler Weaver, from Florida State, with -7. Today, Ballester needs a comeback, as every point earned is good thinking about the PGA Tour University.
Also playing in this tournament is the Spanish player Pablo García Terol, although he is far from the lead with two rounds of 82 and 76 strokes.
