Oct. 17, 2008
Led by senior Morgan Grantham’s career-best round of 69, the University of New Mexico women’s golf team is tied for fifth place after the first day of the Stanford Intercollegiate. UNM shot a 2-under 282, the fourth-lowest round in school history, on the par-71, 6,092-yard Stanford University Golf Course. Live stats are available at www.golfstat.com.
UNM is tied with Arizona and No. 24 Arkansas. They trail leader and 3rd-ranked UCLA by five shots. The Bruins finished at 7-under 277.
It’s a strong field as nine of the 15 competing teams are currently ranked in Golfweek’s top-25 poll. The Lobos, currently ranked 47th, had a better day than four top-25 teams, including No. 6 Vanderbilt and No. 9 Duke.
Starting on the back nine, Grantham started strong with birdies on No. 11 and No. 16. Consecutive birdies on holes 6 and 7 pushed her to 3-under on before making bogey on the final hole. The Kingman, Ariz., native bettered her previous low round by two shots. She shot a 71 last year at the MWC Championships in Albuquerque.
Grantham is tied for 7th place, four shots behind Oklahoma State’s Caroline Masson, who fired a 6-under 65.
Obviously, it was a team effort for UNM. Senior Mikaela Backstedt and junior Jodi Ewart each shot 1-under 70. For Backstedt, it was her lowest score since her sophomore year when she shot a 70 in the third and final round of the NCAA West Regional in St. George, Utah. Ewart closed strong today with back-to-back birdies on the final two holes.
Freshman Rebecca Hellbom shot a 2-over 73 followed by junior Britney Choy at 5-over 76.
Second-round action begins Saturday at 9 a.m. Mountain Time.