GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- The best two-round score in Vanguard women's golf history was finished off by the team today at the RJGA Shootout at Estrella, as VU placed fifth out of the 16 teams present.  The Lions had identical rounds of 298 each day, good for third all-time on the best single-round list, with the total of 596 edging out the previous best of 608 set in 2023.  CSU San Marcos won the team event with a 573 (-3) and got the individual champion in Ellaclair Leedom (137, -7). 
 
The Course: Challenging, yet forgiving, is the motto behind the Nicklaus-designed course.  The course blends in with the local environment, while sand traps make the desert feel even more in play.  The course is 7,139 yards at its maximum length and is a par 72.
 
What Happened?  Theresa Shaw was tied for sixth at the end of day one by going even as she pared 16 of the 18 holes.  She had a bogey on the fourth hole and a birdie on the eighth to leave the podium within reach.  While she could not improve on her score on Tuesday, neither did she take a step back, as another round of even par with two birdies and 14 pars, including the entire back nine, placed her in fifth to conclude the event (144).  Shaw knocked in 30 pars to net the most for the event and was in the top 10 in scoring metrics for all three lengths of hole, with her best being +1 on par-four holes for the tournament, good for a tie for fourth.  Her total handed Shaw the second-best 36-hole score in program history, three off her mark from the same event last year.
 
Karis Haltom finished one over par on Monday, as she picked up an eagle on the par-five 16th hole to highlight her VU debut.  She also birdied the third hole and had 12 pars to end day one tied for 13th.  After completing her run on Tuesday, Haltom snagged three birdies over the seventh, 13th, and 16th holes while putting down 10 pars to end with a 74 (+2).  While one shot off her first round, Haltom's steady approach allowed her to vault up three places in the standings to end tied for 10th.  Her 147 strokes set the third-best score on a 36-hole tournament in school history.  Haltom was tied with a CSUSM golfer for the best performance on par-five holes (-4), tied for fourth on par-three scoring (E), and was in the middle of the pack for pars and birdies.  Kaitlin Anderson was tied for 24th at +3 after she had a team-high three birdies on Monday.  She netted 11 pars during the day's events, but she switched to birdies for day two.  After a tough front nine, Anderson laid down four birdies on the back nine on the 11th, 12th, 13th, and 16th holes to again score 75.  Her 150 for the tournament put her in a tie for 17th, a personal-best finish in her career, and she gained seven places on day two.  Her string of birdies gave her seven overall, good for fourth-best out of the field, and her 150 tied for the fourth-best score all-time in the history book.
 
Rylee Salas-Hubbard was tied for 47th at the end of the first day at +6, and she put birdies down on the first and fifth holes.  She then did one better on day two, netting a 77 with birdies on the eighth and 13th holes along with 10 pars.  She tallied a 155 for her final score, putting her in a tie for 35th, which was 12 spots up the standings, and also netted a personal-best finish for her career.  Sophia Forrest was +7 in a tie for 56th at the end of day one as she found birdies on the sixth and 12th holes.  She put in two birdies again today on the 10th and 13th holes to give her a 78, one shot better than Monday.  She also rang up 10 pars and finished with 157 strokes, good for a tie for 46th, a movement of 10 spots to the good. 
 
Playing as an individual, Tori Colborne played her first collegiate round and ended in a tie for 60th, putting in her first collegiate birdie on the 13th hole on Monday.  She posted another one on the 13th hole during round two and had nine pars each day to net matching scores of 80 (160) to end tied for 60th.
 
As a team, VU had one of the two eagles at the tournament, finished fourth in birdies (22), and six in pars (109).  The team was steady on the par-four and par-five holes, ending fourth in performance on those two lengths.

"Vanguard women's golf set a school record and finished fifth out of a field of 16 highly competitive DII programs," offered Director of Golf and coach Jane Carr.  "Coming off of a four-day team retreat in Palm Desert, our players came together around our culture, values, and goals, and that unity was evident on the course here in Arizona.  We are committed to building champions on and off the golf course.  The talent, discipline, and commitment of this team is very evident.  This is a tremendous team accomplishment to open the fall, and the start of something great."

What's Next?  The squad returns to Utah and the Wasatch Invite beginning September 20.