Colorado Eighth After Round One Of The Pac-12 Championship

EUGENE, Ore. — The University of Colorado women's golf team weathered the chilly wind and rain, positioning into eighth place after the first round of the 2022 Pac-12 Championship at the Eugene Country Club on Monday.
 
The Buffaloes shot 14-over par, 302, six strokes behind Oregon State and UCLA, and seven behind fifth place Oregon.
 
Top-ranked Stanford has a two-stroke lead over two-time defending Pac-12 champion USC after one round. The Cardinal shot 2-over, 290, with the Trojans at 4-over. Washington and Arizona State are tied for third at 6-over, 294.
 
Higher scores were certainly expected in Monday's first round. The tournament teed off an hour earlier than scheduled, under 45-degree wet skies, with conditions only getting worse as the round went on.
 
Only four of 55 golfers were in the red – and not by much. USC's Brianna Navarrosa is the leader after the first round with a 2-under, 70. Stefanie Deng of Washington, Rose Zhang of Stanford and Alessandra Fanali of Arizona State are each one stroke back after shooting 1-under, 71.
 
Beginning on the No. 10 tee, Colorado had a bit of a bumpy start with just one birdie over the first five holes and was 8-over par early. The Buffaloes had their best stretch on holes 15 through 18, playing at 2-under and hovered around the top five at the turn.
 
Colorado fell down the leaderboard after shooting 6-over on the first three holes of its back, No. 1-3. The Buffaloes held steady down the stretch, recording five birdies on the last six holes to stay within reach of the upper half of the standings.
 
"The team hung in the round very well, especially after a tough start," CU head coach Anne Kelly said. "The conditions on the second nine were very challenging with strong winds followed by blowing rain."
 
Sophomore Hailey Schalk continued her strong spring season, leading the Buffaloes with a 1-over, 73. She is tied for ninth place, just three strokes out of the lead. Schalk was 1-over on the first nine, with eight pars and a bogey at the 345-yard, par-4 No. 14. She dropped two strokes on the first three holes of the front, but rallied with birdies at a pair of par 3's at No. 5 and No. 7 while staying bogey free over the last six.
 
Schalk was 2-under on the course's four par 3's, the best overall mark in the first round.
 
"Hailey played another solid, smart round of golf," Kelly said. "The two par 3's she birdied on the second nine were extremely tough in the windy conditions."
 
Senior Malak Bouraeda is tied for 26th after a 3-over, 75. She was at 3-over after only three holes, but played even from there including birdies at the 175-yard par-3 No. 2 and 370-yard par-4 No. 4.
 
Junior Ellie Gower shot a 4-over, 76, tying for 31st. Gower was 5-over through five holes, but didn't let that slow start faze her. She had three birdies in a six-hole stretch and played the final 13 holes at 1-under.
 
Senior Diane Baillieux is tied for 39th, shooting a 6-over, 78. Baillieux had a great open, shooting even on her first nine holes, which at the time was good enough for a share of the lead. She struggled on the front though, dropping three shots on No. 1 and No. 2, eventually finishing at 6-over.
 
Freshman Natalie Vo is in 55th place after shooting a 14-over, 86.
 
"The team is determined to keep moving forward, no matter what Mother Nature might have in store the next two days," Kelly said.
 
Colorado will be paired with UCLA in Tuesday's second round and will begin on the back nine at 10:20 a.m. MT.