The Arizona women’s golf season ended in late May, but one Wildcat refuses to reveal her youth and was fortunate enough to finally play at a professional level. Lindsey Weaver played the first two rounds of the U.S. Women’s Open Friday and Saturday before missing the cut.
Weaver is coming off a milestone season taking the Wildcats to great heights. She played among a team that has a rising star in Krystal Quihuis, who still remains an underclassman, and fellow veteran Manon Gidali. Weaver took a team that had key pieces to succeed and led then-No. 6 Arizona to a Pac-12 Conference Championship.
Weaver played in the conference championship as the No. 34-ranked player among other NCAA Division I golfers.
When thinking about Pac-12 dominance in sports, Arizona will usually be mixed in basketball or softball conversations, but women’s golf was put back on the map after Weaver led Arizona to the school’s eighth conference championship.
Arizona would earn a conference title in arguably the toughest conference in women’s golf. More eyebrows rose Arizona’s way, considering the conference contained seven teams in the top 25. Arizona finished ahead of No. 1 Washington, No. 2 UCLA, No. 3 Southern California, No. 17 Stanford, No. 18 ASU and No. 23 Oregon.
Weaver shot a second round of 67 in the conference championship, which would tie Weaver’s season low.
Head coach Laura Ianello was fortunate to land Weaver in 2013 after she was a highly touted prospect transferring from Notre Dame. Weaver’s prosperity began in South Bend, Ind., when she earned Big East Women’s Golf Player of the Year and was named to the All-Big East Women’s Golf Team.
Simply put, Weaver is a young golfer with a high ceiling at the professional level despite being cut at the Women’s
U.S. Open.
Setting the tone for a successful professional career at the collegiate level is what Weaver had in mind, however, she appeared to be shaking off the cobwebs from the NCAA Championships in May.
Weaver shot an opening round of 76 strokes (+6) and had an off day without any birdies or eagles. She would go on to bogey thrice on the front nine and thrice on
the back nine.
The bleeding would stop the following day in the second round after Weaver only shot one bogey on the front nine. That bogey would only come on the first hole and it was smooth sailing from there. Unfortunately for Weaver, she couldn’t dig herself out of the hole she dug in the opening round by not shooting any birdies. Weaver was heading into a crucial back nine and had very little momentum, considering she didn’t hit one birdie the entire tournament.
Weaver fell off-track bogeying on the 10th, 11th and 15th holes while shooting par for the others shooting a 74(+4). Weaver would miss the cut finishing tied for 150th place (+10). South Korea’s In Gee Chun won the tournament Sunday, finishing eight-under-par.
Weaver led Arizona to a NCAA Championship run, which was ended by Stanford, but Weaver’s exhilarating offseason should be a key piece for the Wildcats next season.
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