STANFORD, Calif. - Colorado’s women opened the Stanford Intercollegiate in 14th place Friday, but the Buffaloes left the first round feeling like the scorecard told a rougher story than the golf did.
The Buffs posted a 15-over-par 299 on Stanford Golf Course, a 6,267-yard, par-71 layout, and sit three shots behind 11th-place California with 36 holes still to play. They’re also eight strokes out of the top eight, keeping the weekend very much alive if they can clean up the damage that showed up on a few costly holes.
That damage came in chunks. Colorado matched its promising stretches with too many swings that turned into big numbers, including a 9-over showing on the 422-yard par-4 18th and another three strokes dropped on the 385-yard par-4 fifth. Those mistakes muted a round that also featured 11 birdies.
"I think we played better than we scored today," Colorado Head Coach Madeleine Sheils said. "The big numbers on a couple holes were the scorecard killer, but the team remained composed and played a lot of good golf. I think we're poised for a good round tomorrow."
Senior Maya McVey paced Colorado with a 1-over 72, and her round had plenty of bounce. She started on the back nine and was 2-over after nine holes, then worked her way back to even with birdies on the 501-yard par-5 first and the 170-yard par-3 third.
A double on the fifth pushed her back, but she closed strong, going 1-under over her last four holes with a birdie at the par-5 seventh. McVey is tied for 26th, just two shots out of the top 20 and three from the top 10.
Junior Ellen O'Shaughnessy is tied for 46th after a 3-over 74. She came flying out of the gate, birdieing three of her first four holes to get to 3-under, but the back half of the back nine knocked her back to 3-over. She steadied herself after the turn and played the front nine clean, making par all nine holes.
Sophomore Brenna Higgins finished at 5-over 76 and is tied for 60th. Junior Carolyn Fuller sits one shot behind her in a tie for 72nd after a 6-over 77. Sophomore Teemapat Pateetin rounds out the Buffaloes’ lineup at 9-over 80, tied for 87th.
At the top of the board, Stanford grabbed the team lead at 13-under 271, five strokes ahead of Virginia. Southern California was the only other team under par on the day at 1-under 283.
Stanford’s Andrea Revuelta leads the individual race at 6-under after a 65, one stroke ahead of Virginia’s Jaclyn LaHa and Iowa State’s Alexandra Vidal Rivera, who both shot 66. Stanford’s Meja Ortengren and Kansas’ Hannah Hall are tied for fourth at 4-under, while Virginia’s Zoe Cusack and Southern California’s Sarah Hammett are tied for sixth at 3-under.
Colorado will be grouped with individuals from Stanford and Virginia for Saturday’s second round, with tee times beginning at 8:30 a.m. off the No. 1 tee.
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