Feb. 13, 2012
DAVIS, Calif. - UC Davis junior Demi Runas had two birdies, including one on both the front and back nines, and finished with a 3-over 74 in Monday's first day of the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge, hosted by Ohio State at Palos Verdes Golf Club.
Runas, tied for 22nd in the standings, was the top finisher after the first round for the Aggie women's golf team which shot a 28-over 312 and is in 15th place in the tournament in which every team is ranked in the top 50.
Sophomore Jessica Chulya was the only other Aggie to break 80 on Monday, shooting 77 to tie for 48th. Junior Amy Simanton is tied for 63rd after an 80 while freshmen Blair Lewis and Beverly Vatananugulkit each carded an 81 and are tied for 65th.
The tournament, one of the toughest this season in collegiate women's golf, is being led by top-ranked UCLA which tamed the par-71, 5,912-yard course with an even round of 284. The Bruins have an eight-shot lead over No. 18 Duke (292) and are 11 up on No. 39 Denver (295) which is in third. Florida State, ranked 32nd, and No. 12 Ohio State are tied for fourth, one shot behind the Blue Devils.
Denver's Rachael Watton finished with a 4-under 67 and has a two-stroke advantage over Duke's Lindy Duncan atop the individual standings. Only six players in the 81-player field broke par on Monday.
Runas paced No. 21 UC Davis with a solid round of 74. She was 2 over after four holes but gained a stroke back with a birdie on the par-5 16th. She was 4 over later in her round but beat the par-5 5th hole with a birdie to bring her back to 3 over before posting four straight pars to end her round.
Chulya opened her day with a double-bogey on the par-4 10th hole but played well the remainder of her front nine, collecting seven pars. She posted her lone birdie on the fifth hole and also had four pars to finish the day and card a 77.
Simanton had a birdie, Lewis had five pars on her back nine and Vatananugulkit was 1 under early in her round, highlighting their days.
UC Davis, which won two tournaments in the fall, will look to climb the standings during Tuesday's second round. The Aggies will tee off at 10 a.m. and play with Wake Forest and Oklahoma. They trail both teams by just two shots in the standings.
The tournament concludes on Wednesday.
NORTHROP GRUMMAN REGIONAL CHALLENGE
Palos Verdes, Calif. (hosted by Ohio State)
Palos Verdes Golf Club
Par 71; 5,192 yards
18 of 54 holes
TEAMS
1. UCLA, 284
2. Duke, 292
3. Denver, 295
T4. Florida State, 296
T4. Ohio State, 296
6. USC, 297
7. Pepperdine, 300
T8. Arizona State, 302
T8. Michigan State, 302
T8. Florida, 302
11. Colorado, 303
12. Oregon, 304
T12. Wake Forest, 310
T13. Oklahoma, 310
15. UC DAVIS 312.
INDIVIDUAL
1. Rachael Watton, Denver, 67
UC DAVIS
T22. Demi Runas, 74
T48. Jessica Chulya, 77
T63. Amy Simanton, 80
T65. Blair Lewis, 81
T65. Beverly Vatananugulkit, 81
