Photo of UMHB golfer Sarah Kmiecik courtesy of UMHB Athletics
NICHOLASVILLE, Kentucky—Sarah Kmiecik entered the 15th hole of Tuesday’s first round at the Division III women’s golf national championships at 5-over, having double-bogeyed on the 13th—a 348-yard Par 4—before a par on the 14th.
But then came a late surge from the senior, representing UMHB as an individual qualifier on the biggest stage in D-III golf. It started with a birdie on 15th and was followed by a second-consecutive birdie on the 16th. Then another. Then a fourth-straight to end the round.
When it was all said and done on Tuesday evening at Keene Trace Golf Club, Kmiecik sat tied for ninth place overall, having shot a 73 (+1) on day one of competition. The importance of her performance over the final four holes of the back nine cannot be overstated, as she heads into the second round just two strokes back from second place, and with the second-best score amongst individual qualifiers. She also recorded the second-most birdies of any player in the first round, with five total.
Leading the field is UT-Dallas’ Karen Lee, who shot a 68 (-4) and holds a three-stroke lead.
Kmiecik, a Houston native, began the round with a tee time of 2:10 p.m. ET, and immediately birdied on the first hole, a 363-yard Par 4. Six of the individual leaderboard’s Top 12 birdied to open the day, and Kmiecik followed that with a bogey and five consecutive pars, sitting at Even through the first seven holes.
A bogey and double bogey in consecutive order closed the front nine for Kmiecik, as she made the turn at 3-over. Three straight pars followed on the 10th, 11th, and 12th holes, before the double-bogey on the 13th. Then came the incredible finish, with four straight birdies. That included a birdie on the 16th, a 310-yard Par 4. Incredibly, that was something only two other contenders in the Top 12—Emory’s Ellen Dong and Carnegie Mellon’s Alexis Sudjianto—managed to do, and Kmiecik was the only player in the Top 20 to birdie on the final four holes of the round.
Kmiecik continues play at the national championships on Wednesday, with her tee time set for 9:10 a.m. ET. This marks her second career appearance at nationals, and she was named a Second Team All-American by the Women’s Golf Coaches Association on Monday.
