Vaughn rallies to win NCAA title

Monica Vaughn didn't know the score, and she might not have believed how the final hour unfolded Monday that enabled the Arizona State senior to capture the NCAA women's golf title.

In a stunning turnaround at Rich Harvest Farms, Vaughn made up a 4-shot deficit with 4 holes to play with 2 birdies and a lot of help from Wake Forest sophomore Jennifer Kupcho, who led the entire final round until a triple bogey on the 17th hole.

"It's a great way to go out my senior year," Vaughn said after closing with a 1-under 71 for a one-shot victory. She became the sixth Sun Devil to win a women's individual golf title, and the first since Azahara Munoz in 2008.

Host school Northwestern led eight teams that advanced to match play, which will decide the team title the next two days on the course where the 2009 Solheim Cup was played.

Northwestern, which finished 8 shots ahead of Stanford, faces Kent State in the opening round.

Kent State nearly avoided a collapse of its own, only to pull through behind another player who didn't know the score.

Kent State was the No. 8 team, finishing 54 holes in the rain-shortened event at 55-over par. That was one shot better than North Carolina.

The other teams to advance were Stanford, Arizona State, Ohio State, Southern Cal, Florida and Baylor. The quarterfinals and semifinals are today, with the championship match Wednesday.