UNLV’s first trip to the NCAA women’s golf championship in 10 years will likely be a short one.
The Rebels struggled mightily during the first round at La Costa Resort in Carlsbad, California, shooting a combined 22 over to sit at the bottom of the 30-team field.
UNLV was playing without its best player. Toa Yokoyama, ranked 63rd in the nation and the anchor of a senior-heavy team, opted to turn professional on the eve of the tournament and is instead playing in the Epson Tour event in Hurricane, Utah, this week.
In her absence, the Rebels’ players all moved up one slot, and freshman Amber Chen was added to the lineup.
Senior Mayumi Umezu had the day’s best round, a 1-over 73, but the rest of the squad struggled. McKenzi Hall (5 over), Zi Yu Foong (7 over), Hina Matsui (9 over) and Chen (10 over) combined to make just five birdies.
“We didn’t play our best today,” coach Amy Bush-Herzer said. “We’ve got more golf ahead of us, and I believe in this team’s ability to bounce back, fight for every shot and continue our amazing season.”
Vanderbilt is setting the pace at 6 under, while Tennessee junior Bailey Davis holds the individual lead at 5 under.
The tournament will feature three rounds of stroke play before the field is cut in half. After one more round of stroke play, the top eight teams will move on to match play to decide the national title.
Greg Robertson covers golf for the Review-Journal. Reach him at [email protected].
