The women’s ‘Regionals’ of the American collegiate league are already underway. The last stop before the big annual final of the NCAA, the Nationals. Meanwhile, the turn for the boys will be next week.
Six regional venues across the country are hosting the various events. Each venue features 12 teams and six individual players, a total of 396 participants. After 54 holes, the top five teams (30 teams in total) and the lowest individual player not part of a participating team (six players in total) from each regional venue will advance to compete in the national championships, which will be held from 16 to 21 May at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, California. Fourteen Spanish players spread across the six events are making headlines. In five of them, there are serious chances of victory at the moment.
All events were supposed to start on Monday, but Lubbock Regional and Norman started on Sunday due to a forecasted storm for this week. Precisely in Lubbock, one of ours is leading. The cyclone is Carolina Chacarra (-4). The Madrid native is experiencing her last months as a university student playing at a very high level. After finishing in the top ten at the ANWA and qualifying for the US Open through the preliminaries, she is leading the Regionals as she has been the only one able to play both rounds under par. She only has 18 holes left to the end and holds a two-stroke lead over Farah O’Keefe and four over the third-placed players.
Additionally, Wake Forest (PAR) leads in the team category by eight strokes. In the same event, Martina López Lanchares (+7) is among the top twenty, and her team Tennessee (+29) is seventh, just two strokes away from the fifth place that grants access to the University Final. Cata Fernandez (+9) is on the verge of the top 30 and tied with Tennessee in seventh place. The final day could be thrilling.
Stanford (-16) is clearly one of the favourite universities to win the university final, and they are proving it in the Regional de Norman. They have a luxury lineup that includes Paula Martín (-3) and Andrea Revuelta (-3). Andrea is seeking her second consecutive victory after winning the ACC, which has propelled her to fifth place in the world amateur ranking, her best position ever. The two friends from Madrid are seventh, just two strokes from the lead, and Stanford is leading by 16 strokes over the fifth place. Like in Lubbock, only 18 holes remain. In the same event, Paula Balanzategui (+8) is in 51st place but will seek a good final round to keep Michigan (-3) in the current third place and thus secure a spot in the Nationals. Anna Cañadó (+11) and her team Duke (+27) have almost no chance of advancing.
In the rest of the events, only the first of the three rounds has been played, but the good news doesn’t end here. Not at all. Carolina López Chacarra is not the only Spanish player leading her Regionals. Paula Francisco (-4) leads alongside Louise Rydquist in the Charlottesville Regional. The Spanish player has accumulated seven top tens as an amateur and is seeking her first victory across the pond. She is the only Spanish player in this event. Florida, her university, is fourth, six strokes from the lead.
Carla Bernat (-2) continues with her good play. She is third at the start of the Lexington Regional. The player from Castellón has delivered a scorecard of 70 strokes, placing her in the provisional podium. The round could have been even better, but a stretch of three consecutive bogeys between the 9th and 11th holes slowed down the ANWA champion’s pace. Last year, Carla qualified individually for the university final and is looking to do so this year with all her teammates from Kansas State University. For now, they are second, an almost immaculate start.
Meanwhile, Marta López (+2), playing individually, has started with a round of 74, within the top 30 and with intact chances to dream of a great result. She will need to finish as the best individual player from universities not qualifying as a team. Fellow Spaniard Beatriz Barrios (+3) started one stroke behind Marta, and Louisville, her university, is sixth, just one stroke away from the coveted fifth place.
Finally, in the Canyon Regional, the Armada had the most discreet start. Ana Pina (+2) is in 21st place, five strokes from the lead. Still a lot to play for and many possibilities to dream big. Additionally, Daniela Campillo (+3), competing individually, will seek 36 dream holes to make it to the nationals as the best individual player in her event. Lucía Lopez Ortega (+9), coming off a conference win, started with a challenging round of nine over par and will need a significant comeback to help San Jose State (+18), which started 15 strokes from the fifth place.
