Oct. 25, 2011
Results and Live Scoring
HENDERSON, Nev. - Sophomore Jessica Chulya had four birdies on her way to bogey-free 4-under 68 on Tuesday, her best round as an Aggie, as the No. 21 UC Davis women's golf team positioned itself for another tournament win with a seven-stroke lead after 36 holes at the Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown.
Four Aggies are among the top 15 places overall.
UC Davis expanded its lead by four strokes and is at 9-under 567 for the tournament. It carded a 2-over 290 on Tuesday and leads Big West rival UC Irvine and No. 41 Pepperdine which are 2-under 574.
Chulya vaulted from a tie for 17th to fourth place and is 5 under overall. Freshman Beverly Vatananugulkit had a 72 and is tied for fifth at 4 under, juniors Demi Runas and Amy Simanton are tied for 15th at par after firing 74 and 76, respectively, and freshman Blair Lewis is 5 over and tied for 44th after shooting 77 on Tuesday.
UC Davis is looking for its second tournament win of the fall season after capturing the Ptarmigan Ram Fall Classic at Colorado State in September. The Aggies were second a week later at the Golfweek Conference Challenge and have finished in the top 10 in each of their four events so far.
There are five top-50 teams playing at this week's 16-team tournament which is being hosted by UNLV. Eighteenth-ranked Oklahoma is the highest-ranked team competing and is currently seventh, 13 shots behind UC Davis.
Chulya's previous best score was a 71 during the second round of the Stanford Intercollegiate in mid-October. She had five birdies during her round of 71 on Monday at UNLV but countered those with four birdies. On Tuesday, she was impressive throughout, making the turn a shot under par and then carding three birdies over a five-hole span to play the back nine three shots in the red.
Chulya is just four shots off the pace being set by Pepperdine's Grace Na who is 9 under.
Vatananugulkit was 1 over after five holes but then strung together 12 consecutive pars before ending her day with a birdie on the par-4 18th.
Runas had a pair of birdies and 12 pars through her first 14 holes on Tuesday before two bogeys and a double-bogey pushed her just two shots over par. Simanton was 2 over on both her front and back nines with a birdie on each side while Lewis had four birdies but nine bogeys for her 77.
This week's tournament marks the end of the fall season for UC Davis which will play Wednesday's 8 a.m. shotgun round with UC Irvine and Pepperdine.
LAS VEGAS COLLEGIATE SHOWDOWN
Henderson, Nev. (hosted by UNLV)
Boulder Creek Golf Club
Par 72, 6,329 yards
36 of 54 holes
TEAMS
1. UC DAVIS, 277-290-567
T2. UC Irvine, 286-288-574
T2. Pepperdine, 281-293-574
4. San Diego State, 280-295-575
T5. UNLV, 290-288-578
T5. Idaho, 286-292-578
7. Oklahoma, 287-293-580
8. Long Beach State, 288-294-582
9. Louisville, 288-301-589
10. East Carolina, 296-298-594
11. BYU, 302-295-597
12. Nevada, 291-307-598
13. Fresno State, 297-306-603
T14. Colorado State, 295-309-604
T14. Missouri, 297-307-604
16. Miami, 304-303-607
INDIVIDUAL
1. Grace Na, Pepperdine, 63-72-135
UC DAVIS
4. Jessica Chulya, 71-68-139
T5. Beverly Vatananugulkit, 68-72-140
T15. Amy Simanton, 68-76-144
T15. Demi Runas, 70-74-144
T44. Blair Lewis, 72-77-149
