McDonald Finishes Career-Best Fifth; Lobos Finish Fifth
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Freshman Myah McDonald of The University of New Mexico women’s golf team posted a career-best, one-under performance to lead the Lobos to fifth place overall at the 42nd Annual Branch Law Firm/Dick McGuire Invitational on Monday.
McDonald tied for fifth place overall after shooting a 72 in round one, a 71 in round two and a 72 in round three. McDonald posted a pair of birdies in round one and four in round two before finishing with five in round three. Her 11 birdies tied for ninth overall.
The freshman also tied for second overall in par-5 scoring (4.50, -6) while as a team, the Lobos led the field in par-5 scoring (4.73, -16).
The top five teams finished just nine strokes apart. New Mexico finished +9 through three rounds, just six strokes out of second place and nine out of first as Denver claimed the victory finishing with an even score of 864. Pepperdine took second (867, +3) and Washington finished third (871, +7).
The Lobos posted the third-most birdies on the competition (45) and added 165 pars (fifth overall).
McDonald was followed by sophomore Napat “Jenny” Lertsadwattana who finished tied for 13th overall. She shot a 72 in round one and a 75 in round two before finishing one-under, 71, in round three for a final score of 218 (+2) through three rounds.
Sophomore Lauren Lehigh finished third for UNM, tying for 18th overall. She shot a 73 in all three rounds to finish +3 on the weekend. She matched McDonald’s 11 birdies to tie for ninth overall
Senior Caroline Jansson tied for 31st despite a solid third day of competition. She shot a 75 and 76 in rounds one and two, respectively, before rebounding for a 73 in round three. She finished with a final score of 224 (+8).
Sophomore Chloé Lauer rounded out the Lobo lineup finishing tied for 45th. She performed well in rounds one and two (73, 75) before turning in her highest score of the tournament in round three (80).
The New Mexico individuals included senior Serena Chon, junior Kamie Hamada and redshirt-senior Reva Morris. Chon finished tied for 38th despite her round-two par to finish +10, followed by Hamada (+11) and Morris (+18). Hamada and Morris each had one round in which they finished one-under (71).
Next up for the Lobos, New Mexico is set to travel to Rancho Mirage, Calif. for the 2021 Mountain West Championship April 20-21.
