Freshman Mikaela Paracuelles took third place in her college debut, helping the UC Santa Cruz women’s golf team take second at the five-team Texas Cup on Sunday.
It was the Banana Slugs’ first event in the pandemic-delayed season.
Paracuelles, out of the Vista Del Lago High Folsom Golf Team, shot a 19-over-par 163 total at The Courses at Watters Creek in Plano. UCSC sophomore Riley Birch, out of Vacaville High, shot 20-over 164 to tie for fifth. Both athletes were named to the all-tournament team.
UT-Dallas freshman Maddy Vilven was medalist with a 149 total.
Gillian Mendoza (166; seventh place) and Alyssa Yee (168; 10th place) also finished in the top 10 to pace UC Santa Cruz. Mara Anunciacion (176; 15th) and Sara Donovan (173; 13th) secured top-15 finishes for the Banana Slugs.
No. 12 ranked UT-Dallas won the tournament with a 653 total, eight strokes ahead of UCSC. The Banana Slugs play in Palm Springs next weekend at the Bulldogs Invite, hosted by No. 1 ranked Redlands.
More Golf News
BALD EAGLE HUNTS DOWN & EATS SEAGULL ON GOLF COURSE
You’ve seen birdies and eagles on a golf course before … but ever seen an eagle EAT a birdie on the links?!!?!
That’s exactly what happened during some guy’s round in Canada on Thursday … when a bald eagle straight up hunted down a seagull and then ate it right next to a fairway!!!
The wild scene all went down out at Point Grey Golf & Country Club in Vancouver … where a golfer decided to whip out his camera as an eagle was flying by.
What happened next was INSANE … the eagle stalked a seagull — tailing it at full speed, before it finally latched on to the bird with its razor-sharp talons.
Five big questions as top amateurs face Augusta National on Saturday
AUGUSTA, Ga. – After a one-year break because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Augusta National Women’s Amateur seems poised to build on its momentum from the inaugural edition.
In spring 2019, Jennifer Kupcho used a second-nine flourish to outduel Maria Fassi in one of the most memorable showcases in women’s golf history. This year’s tournament could be just as exciting, with teen phenom Rose Zhang tied for the lead and nine players separated by just three shots.
Here are the five biggest questions heading into the third and final round at Augusta National
Who are the main contenders?
Zhang and Ingrid Lindblad are tied for the lead at 1 under, the only players to sit under par after two days at another challenging track, Champions Retreat. Both are highly accomplished players: Zhang, 17, is a month from high school graduation but is the reigning U.S. Women’s Amateur champion and the top-ranked player in the world. Lindblad, a sophomore at LSU, is no slouch, either: Ranked No. 4 in the world, she won the European Team Championship for Sweden in 2019 and was a 2020 Annika Award finalist as the top player in college golf. They have a small bit of history together: Lindblad went 1-0-2 against Zhang at the 2018 Junior Ryder Cup.
But unlike two years ago, when Kupcho and Fassi separated themselves early, this final round figures to be more tightly packed. There are seven other players within two shots of the lead, including Arizona State star Olivia Mehaffey, who is coming off a tournament-best 69 at Champions Retreat; Sun Devils teammate and world No. 2 Linn Grant, who has won three consecutive college events; and Auston Kim, an All-American at Vanderbilt.
This is the worst warm-up mistake golfers make, says one of the best putters ever
Earlier this week, I took a look at the games of some of the best power players in Masters history. Today, I’m continuing on the same theme but shifting the focus to the green. What can we learn from the best putter in Masters history, otherwise known as Ben Crenshaw?
For golf fans who weren’t around in the 1980s, it’s easy to forget how much of a Masters stalwart Ben Crenshaw was. He was arguably the best Masters player throughout the entirety of the 1980s, with a first, second, third, two fourths, a sixth and an eighth place finish in 10 years.
Lurking on YouTube is a fantastic old video from Crenshaw’s 1986 “The Art of Putting,” which you can watch here or down below. It’s loaded with great tips and, above all else, a singular message about putting:
“I don’t think putting can be reduced to lines and angles,” Crenshaw says. “There is no magic formula … it’s a matter of touch.”
But while Crenshaw doesn’t prescribe many rules throughout the 39 minute video, he couldn’t resist on one occasion. Talking about warming up, he outlined a mistake that he says golfers make all the time — I know I do.
In the video, Crenshaw says that golfers often don’t leave themselves enough time for a proper warmup, which leads them to make a simple mistake:
“Many weekend golfers warm up for a round by dropping a few balls four feet or so from the hole, hitting a few short putts and racing off to the first tee,” he says. “In my opinion, that’s counterproductive. That’s the worst possible way you can do to achieve that smooth stroke that you’re looking for.”
