By Lindsay Gaesser, SDA Media Relations
Bradenton, Fla.--Arizona State's Monica Vaughn recorded a top-five finish at the 2015 NCAA Women's Golf Championships on Monday afternoon. The sophomore, ranked No. 16 in the nation according to Golfstat, placed fifth with a 1-over 289 (75-71-71-72) at the par-72, 6,468-yard The Concession Golf Club.
"It feels amazing to finish in the top five at nationals this week," said Vaughn. "I've really worked hard for this and have been preparing all year. I feel good that I gave it my all and was rewarded."
Vaughn, who tied for 38th as a freshman last season at NCAA Finals, carded the second-most birdies of the week (15) and was second in par-four scoring behind the NCAA individual champion Emma Talley.
"This year was very much about improving my mental game both on and off the golf course," said Vaughn of her improvement this season. "I dropped my scoring average by an entire stroke just because I became more methodical and got better at hitting the higher percentage shots. I also stayed away from the range and focused a lot on short game. Even though my short game wasn't the greatest this week, my smart decisions helped me get out of some trouble."
Alabama's Talley won the individual title after posting a 3-under 69 in the final round. Talley, who carded 14 birdies and led in par-four scoring through four rounds, is the first individual champion for the Alabama women's golf program.
Gaby Lopez of Arkansas scorched the final round with a tournament-low 6-under 66, earning her a second-place finish behind Talley. Duke's Leona Maguire was in the hunt after shooting 4-under on the front nine, but back-to-back bogeys on 10 and 11 put the individual title just out of reach for the freshman. Closing out the round with a birdie on 18, Maguire tied for second with Lopez.
Baylor's Dylan Kim edged Vaughn for the fourth-place finish after posting a 5-under 67 on the day. After starting the round with a bogey on the first hole, Kim rallied with six birdies down the stretch, three of which were on holes 16 through 18.
"This course is such a challenging course and it really separates the players," said Vaughn of the stiff competition this week. "I think all of us who were in it going into the last day really stayed tough and fought hard for every shot and didn't let the challenges of the course get us down.
I think we all accepted that there were bogeys to be made out here and it would happen to everyone, but the girls at the top were all fighters," added Vaughn. "It was so fun to be with those girls at the top and to see everyone working their butts off to get that win."
Although Vaughn did not have the entire Sun Devil squad there in Florida with her, ASU head coach Melissa Luellen and associate head coach Missy Farr-Kaye were alongside her every step of the course.
"I want to say thank you to my coaches for being the best role models I could ask for," said Vaughn. "I had such an amazing time with them this week. They work so well together and they made me feel so calm and comfortable out there. They gave me so much confidence I felt like I could win it right out of the gate. I couldn't ask for two better people with whom to spend my four years at ASU."
Monday marked the conclusion of stroke play at the NCAA Championships. The following teams will advance to match play to compete for the national title: No. 1 Southern California, No. 4 Duke, No. 18 Baylor, No. 13 Stanford, No. 5 Arizona, No. 12 Tennessee, No. 27 Texas Tech, and No. 7 Washington. The Pac-12 sends four teams to the match play portion of the championship, the most of any conference.
| Place | Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | Score |
| 5 | Monica Vaughn (I) | 75 | 71 | 71 | 72 | 289 | +1 |