Kansas State University Athletics
Jaffrey Turns in Gutsy Performance in First Round of Regionals
May 07, 2018 | Women's Golf
MADISON, Wis. – Kansas State senior women's golfer Connie Jaffrey had an outstanding performance on Monday considering what her previous 36 hours had entailed, carding an even-par 72 to tie for 18th place following the first round of the 2018 NCAA Madison Regional at University Ridge Golf Course.
The Kilwinning, Scotland, native missed Sunday's practice round due to a sudden illness, one that gave her only four hours of sleep the night prior to one of the biggest collegiate tournaments of her career.
The lack of sleep and energy did not slow her down, however, as she got off to a very hot start by shooting a 2-under par on the front nine of a course she had not seen prior to starting her round. Her front-nine performance included birdies on Nos. 2, 6 and 8, the middle one being a bounce-back hole after a bogey on No. 5.
On the back nine, Jaffrey went 2-over par with bogeys on Nos. 10 and 11. The senior enters Tuesday's second round two shots back of the top 10.
"I am so happy for Connie that she was able to play today," head coach Kristi Knight said. "It has been a rough 36 hours. She showed a lot of guts. Coach Jared (Helin) did a great job guiding her around a course she had not seen before this morning. She hit a lot of good shots and holed some putts. I am very proud of her. She is looking forward to getting some sleep."
"I was struggling to walk, let alone swing a golf club, so I didn't have very much hope of playing today," Jaffrey said. "(The front nine) built confidence. I did not even expect it whatsoever. I just expected to go out and try my best.
"I feel much better than the last couple of days," Jaffrey continued. "I didn't think I was going to be playing this morning, but I finished it. I think today was my most concerning day – how I was going to play and if I was going to be able to swing a golf club. I think the next couple of days I will feel better, so hopefully my result will be better."
The 18-hole performance was Jaffrey's career-best in an NCAA Regional, bettering a 3-over par 75 in the 2017 NCAA Athens Regional.
Virginia tops the team leaderboard after carding a 9-under par 279, four strokes better than second-place Duke. Virginia's Beth Lillie is tied with Wisconsin's Gabby Curtis atop the individual leaderboard as both carded a 5-under par 67.
The NCAA Madison Regional will continue Tuesday with Jaffrey teeing off hole No. 1 at 8:45 a.m. Live results can be followed at www.golfstat.com.