MWC Championships Round One

SEASIDE -- Round one of the Mountain West Conference Championships went into the books Thursday with a freshman leading the way for the BYU women’s golf team. The Cougars placed sixth after 18 holes (320, +32) as newcomer Kelsey Vines recorded the BYU low score of +3.

“The course played really hard today,” said BYU head coach Robbie Bosco. “The greens were extremely fast with a lot of hills so putting was definitely a challenge and hurt us as a team. Kelsey played really well and Maggie (Yuan) stepped up. As we get used to the course and start to figure out the putts a little more, we’ll play better as a team.”

The par 72, 6,009-yard Black Horse Golf Course did indeed prove challenging as no team finished under par and only two players in the field carded scores better than even. The Cougars finished the day one stroke ahead of Wyoming and nine shots back of No. 45 San Diego State. No. 6 New Mexico led the pack at +6.

Two BYU golfers placed in the top 15 on the day with Vines leading the way. The Cougar freshman continued her solid play with a round of 75, which featured birdies on the par-4 4th and 10th holes. She currently sits in sixth place after 18 holes.

Sophomore Maggie Yuan went five over on the day in field that saw just two golfers score below par. Yuan got off to a rough start, going +4 on the front nine before birdying the par-4 10th hole. She tied for 12th place in round one.

Junior Jade Bollinger was +11 in the round and tied for 30th place while senior Shayla Forsey was +13, good enough for 32nd place. Forsey also had the distinction of being one of only three golfers in the entire field to card an eagle as she posted a two on the par-4 16th hole. Freshman Amanda Keith placed 33rd at +14.

Round two continues Friday with tee times starting at 8 a.m. PT.