University of Washington
Regional Challenge
Thomas' 2-Under 69 Leads UW at Northrop-Grumman
February 08, 2016 | Women's Golf
PALOS VERDES, Calif. – The 14th-ranked University of Washington women's golf team sits tied for sec-ond Sunday afternoon following day one of the Northrop-Grumman Regional Challenge after placing four of its five team members in the top 25 at the three-day tournament.
“Our group played well today despite having a little lull there in the middle of the round, but we closed very strongly,” said head coach Mary Lou Mulflur. “They stayed focused and they stayed patient. That's what we as coaches were most proud of was their patience. This is a tough course with fast greens that won't let you take a second off, so you have to be patient.”
The Huskies recorded 20 birdies, 11 on the back-nine, to finish the day at 1-over 285, tied with No. 2 Duke. No. 11 Alabama holds the team lead at 6-under 278 through 18 holes. Eleven teams in the na-tion's top 25 are competing in the 16-team field including the top-three squads, two of which, Wash-ington is leading after 18 holes (No. 1 USC and No. 3 UCLA).
UW, which was 4-over at the turn, was led by senior Charlotte Thomas who carded a 2-under 69 to fin-ish tied for third after day one. Thomas recorded five of her seven birdies on the back-nine to climb up to 2-under and help UW finish the round at 1-over.
“Charlotte's round with so many birdies was extremely impressive,” added Mulflur. “Her experience here really showed and I'm looking forward to seeing what she brings over the next two rounds.”
Thomas is joined in the top 15 by fellow senior Ying Luo who finished the day at even par (71) to tie for 11th. Luo opened the day with three birdies on her first six holes but finished with a double-bogey on hole 15 to bring her back to even par 71.
Freshman Wenyung Keh wrapped up her first round of the spring season with a 1-over 72 on the par-71 course as she carded three birdies on the back nine to sit tied for 17th heading into day two.
The Husky contingent was rounded out by freshman Julianne Alvarez who finished the day with a 2-over 73 which included four birdies to tie for 23rd and freshman Clementina Rodriguez who carded a 9-over 80 to tie for 74th.
“For the next round, we just need to keep the same mindset and not get ahead of ourselves,” said Mulflur. “We've done a good job of focusing on being comfortable with the uncomfortable and staying in the moment to not let other factors influence us and if we can continue to do that, I think we'll have a solid round.”
Washington continues play Monday morning at the Palos Verdes Golf Club and will be teeing off with No. 11 Alabama, No. 2 Duke and No. 12 Florida.
Players Mentioned
