April 21, 2006
The 26th-ranked University of New Mexico women’s golf team took a pretty big bite out UNLV’s lead today at the Mountain West Conference Championships being played in St. George, Utah.
The Lobos shot a 7-over 295 on the Entrada at Snow Canyon course and trail the 10th-ranked Rebels by just four shots entering Saturday’s final round. UNM has a two-day total of 598. UNLV shot a 15-over 303 in the second round and is at 594. Remarkably, the Rebels dropped 10 shots on the final two holes, including a pair of triple bogeys on 18. BYU is third at 604.
UNLV has won the past two MWC titles while the Lobos captured the first four from 2000-03.
Saturday’s final round starts at 10 a.m. The Lobos, Rebels and Cougars tee off between 11:40 a.m. and 12:20 p.m. Live scoring and complete results are available at www.golfstat.com.
The Lobos began the day 12 shots behind UNLV, but got off to a torrid start behind the play of dynamic freshmen Mikaela Backstedt and Py Bengtsson. The Swedish duo helped UNM reach seven-under-par as a team and it got to within three shots of the lead as Backstedt birdied four of the first eight holes and Bengtsson was 3-under on her round after just five holes.
Backstedt, who was tied for the first-round lead, then took a triple-bogey 8 on No. 9 and proceeded to bogey 11 and 12. She finished at 1-over 73 and is in second place individually at 145. TCU’s Catherine Matranga had the only round under par today at 71 and has a one-shot advantage over Backstedt.
Bengtsson was strolling along at 2-under until closing with bogeys on the final two holes. She finished with an even-par 72 and a two-round total of 148, good for third place.
UNM’s two sophomores – Alexandra Phelps and Giselle Claux – regained their strokes in the second round. After opening with an 80, Phelps shot 2-over 74 and is tied for 19th at 10-over 154. Despite a double bogey on 18, Claux shaved six shots off her opening round with a 76. She’s at 14-over 158, tied for 28th place.
After a first-round 75, freshman Morgan Grantham fell back to an 81 today and is in a tie for 24th place at 156.