If you followed along with the first round of the NCAA Women's Golf Championships today, you went on a bit of an emotional roller coaster ride. Sophomore Portland Rosen opened the day right for the No. 27 Cavaliers by eagling the first hole and following that up with five birdies to close the front nine at 7-under.
Rosen would finish the day at 6-under, leading the field after the first day.
In fact, all was going according to plan, as after the morning tee times wrapped up, Virginia found themselves in the lead at 6-under 282. No. 8 Duke was in second place, seven strokes back. Still, it was no time to celebrate, as No. 1 UCLA, No. 2 Alabama and No. 3 USC had yet to tee off.
But Rule 2(b) then struck. Virginia's score was slashed six strokes, as sophomore Elizabeth Brightwell, who originally had finished at 1-under, was disqualified from the first round. Turns out, she accidentally signed for a four on Hole No. 5, when she had actually shot five. An easy mistake to do when you're keeping track of your own strokes as well as each of your opponents', but as a result, her score was disqualified, and instead, Virginia had to rely on freshman Briana Mao, who had shot 5-over par. Virginia finished even on the day. Brightwell will continue to compete with the team, but will not be eligible for an individual award.
Still, it wasn't all bad news. Despite all that, Virginia managed to finish the day in second out of the field of 24, as Alabama was the only team to shoot under par, at 2-under 286. After Virginia came Duke at 1-over 289, North Carolina at 2-over 290, and UCLA and Arizona State, each at 4-over 292.
Here's how the Cavaliers finished:
1. Portland Rosen: -6
T12. Brittany Altomare: -1
T34. Lauren Greenlief: +2
T85. Briana Mao: +5
Elizabeth Brightwell: D