Myah McDonald Victorious at The Show at Spanish Trail
LAS VEGAS, Nev. – Myah McDonald earned her first collegiate title on Tuesday as the New Mexico women’s golf team concluded play at The Show at Spanish Trail Country Club. McDonald finished the event at 9-under to post a two-shot victory in a field that included 10 top-100 players.
McDonald shot a 3-under 69 in the final round to finish atop the leaderboard. She is the second Lobo to earn medalist honors this season as Jenny Lertsadwattana was co-champion at the Ron Moore Intercollegiate in Colorado during the fall portion of the season.
“Winning isn’t something I would have expected coming into this tournament, but it was nice to get some confidence and momentum going into the rest of the season,” said McDonald. “The last hole I got pretty nervous, like first tee kind of nervous. I knew I had a chance of winning but didn’t know the exact scores. I tried to take a few deep breaths and focus on the present. The drive didn’t go as expected, but I managed to get a birdie out of it and overall it was a really great feeling.”
The Lobos shot even par as a team on Tuesday to finish the event in third at 2-under. Sixth-ranked Mississippi State was the champion at 9-under, two shots ahead of No. 30 Pepperdine at 7-under. New Mexico was the only other team to finish in red figures to finish third, while host UNLV was fourth at even par.
McDonald’s 69 was the low round for the Lobos on Tuesday. Lauren Lehigh shot a 1-under 71 to finish at T-10th at 1-under for the event. Maria Caparros Levin shot 73 in the final round while Lertsadwattana shot 75 and Chloe Lauer rounded out the lineup with an 81. Lisa-Marie Pagliano shot a final round 73 while playing as an individual.
“This group was very determined today,” said head coach Jill Trujillo. “Their attitude and focus were on point. What an amazing victory for Myah as she was 3-under on her last four holes to get the win. That shows amazing nerves of steel. Lauren also hit a milestone with her first tournament under par. I am so proud of all of them.”
The Lobos return to action March 10-12 with the Clover Cup in Mesa, Ariz.