SEASIDE, Calif. – UNLV women’s golf junior Therese Koelbaek is in second place, helping the Rebels to fourth place after the first round of the 2009 Mountain West Conference championship Thursday, which is being held at the Black Horse Golf Course in Seaside, Calif. Koelbaek shot an even-par 72 and is two strokes behind Jonelle Martinez of Wyoming, who turned in the only sub-par round of the day, a two-under 70.
New Mexico, with a total of 301 (+13) is in the lead after one round, holding a four-shot advantage over TCU and BYU, who currently sit tied for second place at 305 (+17). UNLV is fourth with a team score of 306 (+18), followed by Wyoming (309), San Diego State (312) and Colorado State (314).
“We played well for 16 holes, but 17 and 18 got us today,” UNLV head coach Missy Ringler said. “We feel fortunate to still be in good position after 18 holes, and we are saying positive and realize there is still a lot of golf left to be played.”
The Rebels played the final two holes at eight over as a team, recording one birdie, two bogies, two double bogies and a triple bogey on the closing stretch. Koelbaek rolled in four birdies on her round and was at two-under par heading to the No. 15, but bogied that hole as well as 18 to finish at even-par on her round.
Natasha Krishna is next on the leader board for the Rebels, sitting tied for 13th after posting a first-round score of five-over 77, while sophomore Alejandra Guacaneme is tied for 16th with a score of six-over 78. A pair of freshmen makes up the rest of the UNLV lineup, and Kristen Schelling is tied for 20th with a score of 79 (+7) and Bethany Glassford is tied for 26th with an 81 (+9).
“Therese had a great first round and she is striking the ball well,” Ringler said. “This golf course is one that really requires you to plan out your approach shots. The greens are very difficult but we are keeping positive and ready for tomorrow.”
The first pairings for Friday’s second round tee off in morning at 7:30 a.m. (PT), and UNLV is part of the second group, along with Wyoming, that will tee off at 8:20 a.m. Fans can follow the tournament live by going to www.unlvrebels.com and clicking on the live scoring link in the calendar. Report provided by Bryan Haines, UNLV Sports Information.