Women's Golf -- NCAA Championships Day 1

Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, Md., is the site of this year's championship and I can tell you it is one of the nicest courses I have ever seen. It is in great shape and the rough is thick and full (ask any of the players today and they will confirm that fact).

It is also long and hilly. The full yardage listed this week is 6,422-yards. Most womens tournaments usually try to set the course up around 6,300-yards. Coach Dailey also told me that the course is playing over 250-yards longer than it did for the NCAA Preview last fall. Even with the length, the elevation changes are amazing. Some of the holes play dramatically uphill or downhill, making it a challenge to walk (and not just for the players).

The conditions were absolutely ideal for scoring this afternoon. There was hardly a breathe of wind and there wasn't even a cloud in the sky. Still, the scoring average in the opening round was 77.92. I'm predicting that is the lowest average all week and since the rounds took over five hours to complete today, we're in store for some marathon rounds the rest of the week.

Watch Golfweek's Asher Wildman and Lance Ringler's Five Takes from the first round. They do a decent job of recapping the opening day.

Wake tees off a 8 am tomorrow morning so we'll see what the morning holds. Coach Dailey wasn't particularly happy with the way the team ended the round today (they were 5-over the final four holes). Hopefully the morning conditions treat the Deacs a little better.