Sept. 19, 2011
Results | Golfweek.com Recap (includes video interview with Coach Anne Walker)
VAIL, Colo. - Freshman Beverly Vatananugulkit and juniors Amy Simanton and Demi Runas each fired 1-over 73's in the first round of the Golfweek Conference Challenge at Red Sky Golf Club on Monday, pacing the UC Davis women's golf team into first place.
The Aggie trio are each tied for 10th for UC Davis which leads Oregon and Coastal Carolina by three shots. The Aggies fired a 6-over 294 on the par-72, 6,236-yard Fazio Course.
The tournament brings together 18 teams from 18 different conferences. Denver is currently in fourth, five shots behind UC Davis, while Mississippi and Pepperdine are tied for fifth place, six strokes back.
The Aggies, whose lineup doesn't feature any seniors, also had sophomore Jessica Chulya shoot 75, tying her for 26th, while freshman Blair Lewis finished with a 79 and is tied for 61st.
UC Davis opened its season last weekend by winning Colorado State's Ptarmigan Ram Fall Classic and is hoping for similar success in the same state this week.
Vatananagulkit, Simanton and Runas helped UC Davis get off to a good start. Vatanagulkit had a double-bogey on the par-5 second hole but then had four birdies and finished 1 under for her final 16 holes. Simanton posted back-to-back birdies on the sixth and seventh holes - she had three overall - to help her come in with a 73 also.
Runas, last week's medalist at Colorado State, was 3 over at the turn but then birdied the par-3 10th and then the par-5 18th to play her final nine holes 2 under and card a 73 as well.
Chulya had two birdies and four bogeys on her front nine but then had eight pars on the back and finished strong with a 75. Lewis had 13 pars to key her first round.
"Today was a solid round. We didn't have anyone go low but we had five players play steady," said head coach Anne Walker. "Amy is showing that she has really matured this summer and is happily taking on her new leadership role.
"Demi once again proved she is one of the best players in the country after bouncing back from a bad start today," she added. "The most impressive round today came from Bev. She is making lots of birdies and is very close to breaking through into the red numbers."
Natalie Gleadall of Mississippi is tied atop the individual leaderboard with Coastal Carolina's Katilin Higginbotham and Pepperdine's Grace Na, each of them firing 3-under 69's. Five players broke par on the tournament's first day.
UC Davis will play with Oregon and Coastal Carolina and tee off starting at 10:30 a.m. (Pacific). The 54-hole tournament concludes on Wednesday.
GOLFWEEK CONFERENCE CHALLENGE
Vail, Colo.
Red Sky GC (Fazio Course)
Par 72, 6,236 yards
18 of 54 holes
TEAMS
1. UC DAVIS, 294
T2. Oregon, 297
T2. Coastal Carolina, 297
4. Denver, 299
T5. Mississippi, 300
T5. Pepperdine, 300
7. Oklahoma, 301
T8. Notre Dame, 302
T8. Minnesota, 302
T10. Georgia State, 304
T10. Kennesaw State, 304
T10. UTSA, 304
T13. Tulsa, 305
T13. Chattanooga, 305
15. TCU, 307
16. New Mexico State, 312
17. Pennsylvania, 313
18. Western Michigan, 320
INDIVIDUAL
T1. Natalie Gleadall, Mississippi, 69
T1. Katilin Higginbotham, Coastal Carolina, 69
T1. Grace Na, Pepperdine, 69
UC DAVIS
T10. Demi Runas, 73
T10. Amy Simanton, 73
T10. Beverly Vatananugulkit, 73
T26. Jessica Chulya, 75
T61. Blair Lewis, 79
