On a day when the weather was an extra opponent, the Oregon women’s golf team finished the first round of the Las Vegas Founders Women’s Collegiate Showdown in 11th place.
No golfers made par at the Anthem Country Club in Las Vegas, Nev. Monday, as the wind pushed 46 of 81 scores over 80 strokes. Brigham Young sophomore Margaret Gibby led the field with a 1-over par 73.
“A round in the 70’s was a good score today,” Oregon head coach Shannon Rouillard said. “Rounds were high overall, I think, certainly higher than what you see under normal conditions.”
The Ducks are 22 strokes behind tournament leader UNLV, which carded a 303, but are only six strokes out of the top eight. New Mexico is in second place at 306, followed by Pepperdine at 307, Denver at 310 and BYU at 311. Other tournament participants include Colorado, San Jose State, California-Irvine, San Diego State, Texas A & M, Hawaii, Colorado State, Eastern Washington and Wyoming.
“The wind and the greens made it a tough round today, so I feel wonderful about our position,” UNLV head coach Missy Ringler said. “We need to stay focused on the greens, but the most important thing is that we remain confident because we have the advantage on this golf course.”
True freshman Erin Andrews carded the Ducks’ best score with a 6-over 78, putting her in a tie for 21st, five strokes off the pace. True freshman Therese Wenslow was the only other Duck to finish under 80, shooting a 7-over 79. Sophomore Johnna Nealy is tied for 48th after a 10-over 82. Sophomore Jess Carlyon is tied for 65th, shooting an 86, while senior Annie Davis, who joined the team last winter, tied for 74th after a round of 89.
“Therese and Johnna have been so solid for us and I’m so excited that Annie has been able to come so far in such a short time,” Rouillard said. “I don’t think she even realizes what an accomplishment that is.”
UNLV redshirt freshman Tina Mabanta is in second place individually with a 74, one stroke behind Gibby. Denver’s Tessa Gillam, Pepperdine’s Katherine Hull and Lindsey Wright, New Mexico’s Kristi Larsen and UNLV’s Sunny Oh and Young Pak share third place at 75.
“We played the most difficult side in a lot of wind,” Rouillard said. “Now that we’ve seen the course, we’re looking to improve over the next couple of days.”
The Las Vegas tournament will last through Wednesday, as teams play 18 holes a day. The Anthem Country Club is a 6,194-yard, par-72 course. This is the Ducks’ final tournament of the fall.