Florida State lives to see another day as dramatic Monday on tap at NCAAs

CARLSBAD, Calif. – For the second straight tournament, Florida State found itself anxiously awaiting its fate under a setting sun on a driving range.

Two weeks ago, at the NCAA Las Vegas Regional, the Seminoles watched as Arizona’s late bid to seize the fifth and final ticket to nationals fell a couple shots short. Now, Florida State’s coaches were locked into live scoring as their players stayed warm and Michigan State played its final few holes on Omni La Costa’s front side.

A mix of bogeys and pars later, and the Spartans finished at 28 over, three shots back of the Seminoles, who advanced to Monday’s final round of the NCAA Women’s Championship as the 15th and final team to make the 54-hole cut – and the only team in the third round’s afternoon wave to not be eliminated.

“I’ve lost years off my life,” Florida State head coach Amy Bond said. “I’ve told the girls before that they’re going to put me in a nursing home early, so I ask them one of two things, either come visit me or say something nice at the funeral because I have aged a lot recently. They have a flair for the dramatics. We’re blessed to be playing tomorrow. We’ve had two tough afternoon draws, but we have a chance.”

Albeit work to do. Florida State is 25 over, 13 shots back of Oregon and Auburn, which are tied for seventh. The top eight teams after 72 holes advance to match play, and final-round rallies at this championship, at least in its match-play era (circa 2015), are rare. The largest deficit overcome to make match play is 11 shots, done by Auburn in 2021 at Grayhawk.

But on a brand-new La Costa layout, which features firm greens, penal rough and some tricky hole locations, Bond likes her team’s chances, especially if the wind blows as expected.

“We’d like it to play as difficult as possible,” said Bone, who has just watched her star player, sophomore Lottie Woad, make 17 straight pars and then calmly roll in a 5-foot birdie putt at the par-5 18th hole that, at the time, looked to be the difference maker in extending Florida State’s season. Instead, it just got them one stroke closer to the top eight.

A few teams will likely have less stressful Mondays. Behind junior Adela Cernousek, the individual leader by a whopping six shots, Texas A&M leads Stanford by a shot at 10 under while LSU is third at 1 under, even with fifth-year senior and Annika Award favorite Ingrid Lindblad well out of the individual race after a second-round 81 on Saturday.

“If you would’ve told me we’d be where we are and Ingrid wouldn’t count twice for us, I wouldn’t have believed you,” LSU head coach Garrett Runion said. (Lindblad had previously counted every round for the Tigers in her career; this week’s championship marks her 48th start.)

Clemson (2 over), Northwestern (9 over) and UCLA (10 over) are also currently in position to play into Tuesday. Arkansas, meanwhile, is a shot back of Oregon and Auburn while reigning national runner-up USC is next in line, two behind. The team that beat the Trojans for the NCAA title last season, Wake Forest, is 12th at 20 over, eight below the match-play cut line.

The Demon Deacons have carded just 29 birdies through three days, more than just seven teams in the 30-team field. However, their 180 pars are third-most.

“We will have to put on our rally caps tomorrow,” Wake Forest coach Kim Lewellen said. “Fortunately, this team has a lot of fight.”

They’ll need every ounce, as will the rest of the chasers, whether they like it or not.

“I don’t want any more dramatics,” Bond added. “I’d like to go low tomorrow, post something and be good, but if not, we’ll be right back here on the range.”