In the Pac-12 Women’s Golf Championships this past weekend, the Stanford women’s golf team struggled in the cold and windy conditions in Washington but rallied from a poor first round to finish in seventh place and earn an invite to the NCAA West Regional.

The Cardinal finished with a team total of 900 (+36) for the three-round tournament, 19 strokes behind conference champion Cal, which secured a one-shot victory over USC at the Palouse Ridge Golf Club in Pullman, Wash.

On a day when only one player in the entire field broke par, a poor first round left the Cardinal in eleventh place after shooting a team total of 320 (+32), but the team rallied with an even-par 288 in the second round and a final-round total of 292 (+4) to end up in seventh place.

Freshman Mariko Tumangan and junior Sally Watson paced the Cardinal, as both finished the tournament tied for 12th place with a score of 222 (+6). After a first-round 83, Watson torched the course over the next two rounds, playing the final 36 holes in 5-under-par. Tumangan and Watson’s finishes were strong enough to earn each player honorable mention All-Pac-12 honors.

Following the conclusion of the Pac-12 season, the Cardinal earned a berth in the NCAA West Regional, which will be held at Colorado National Golf Club in Erie, Colo., from May 10-12. Stanford will be one of 22 teams in the West Regional competing for eight spots in the NCAA championship on May 22-25 at the Vanderbilt Legends Club in Franklin, Tenn.

– Jack Blanchat