BOULDER CITY, Nev. – In their second competition of the season, women's golf took part in the NCAA Preview hosted at the Boulder Creek Golf and Country Club by the University of Missouri St. Louis. The Lions would square off against high-caliber opposition, as five of the top 25 teams in the nation were in attendance, including #1 Dallas Baptist University, #6 St. Mary's (TX), and #9 Cal State San Marcos.
The Blue and Gold completed the two-day event in 11th, scoring 899 (299-289-311) over three rounds. The middle round of 289, just one shot over par as a team, is the lowest single-round score in program history.
Sehlai Purcell and
Brooklyn Motske concluded the event as VU's highest finishers, with both tied for 38th. As a team, the Lions produced 37 birdies, and 155 pars. The squad was clinical on longer holes, as VU ended ninth in par-five performance, going -7 for the event.
CSUSM collected the one-stroke victory over DBU by going 34 shots under par and ending with a score of 830 (279-270-281). The individual winner was Arnie Taguines of #13 UT Tyler, who shot 200 (70-64-66) over the three rounds.
The Course: Mark Rathert designed the 7,648-yard facility comprised of three nine-hole courses: Desert Hawk, Coyote Run, and Eldorado Valley. Surrounded by the Redwoods of the Santa Cruz Mountains, the layout has Bermuda grass fairways and greens and deep natural sand bunkers.
What Happened? Purcell started the contest well, putting down five of her eventual 11 birdies in her first round. After a tighter second round, Purcell rallied with 10 pars in her final run around the course, as she climbed two spots and finished with a score of 221(72-75-74). The freshman also finished tied for fifth on par-five holes, as she went -7 on the longer holes at the tournament. Though Motske left Nevada with an identical score of 221, her three rounds (73-72-76) took shape differently. The senior was tied as high as 31st in the early rounds after netting four birdies. The captain remained consistent across the remaining holes and finished the competition tied for second with 42 pars.
Shanaya Neru finished third out of the five Lions participants, netting 226 strokes (75-70-81) and grabbing 36 pars. She tied for the seventh-best score of any competitor in the second round, during which she also earned five of her six birdies.
Emily Knox and
Brooke Carpenter had inspired showings in the second round and the pair would finish just six spots apart. Knox shot 232 (79-72-81) to complete her tournament, ending with nine birdies and 24 pars. Carpenter notched seven total birdies and scored a 238 (83-75-80). She found 11 of her 25 pars in the final round, including four in a row.
What's Next? VU golf will return to action in a week as both teams will host the Vanguard Fall Invite in Beaumont on October 15-16.
