SDSU WOMEN'S GOLF'S MILA CHAVES IN THE LEAD AT MW CHAMPIONSHIPS

Aztecs second as a team after 36 holes

Source:  goaztecs.com

Video courtesy goaztecs.com

April 17, 2018 (Rancho Mirage, Calif.) - San Diego State women’s golf senior Mila Chaves (Asunción, Paraguay) took over sole possession of the individual leaderboard Tuesday at the Mountain West Championship after firing a 3-under-par 69 during the second round at Mission Hills Country Club.

Chaves posted the low card of the week thus far, vaulting into the top spot with a combined 3-under 141, while UNLV’s Mackenzie Raim (-1) lurks closely behind in second, followed by Rebel teammate Shannon Oh, Colorado State’s Ellen Secor and Wyoming’s Erin Sargent, all of whom are tied for third at 1-over.

As a team, the Aztecs moved up one notch into second place with a 36-hole total of 14-over 590 after logging the third-best collective score of the championship with a 4-over 292 on the par-72, 6,270-yard Dinah Shore Tournament Course.

Despite shaving six strokes off its score from round one, SDSU still trails front-runner UNLV (-2) by 12 shots after the Rebels registered a 291 on Tuesday, while Nevada (+21) jumped three places into third, followed closely by New Mexico (+22) and Colorado State (+25).

Chaves, who entered the day in tie for fifth, opened with an inauspicious bogey on the par-4 No. 1 before catching fire with birdies on the second and fourth greens, followed by seven consecutive pars. The reigning South American Women’s Amateur champion added three drains on the back nine, including an impressive conversion on the par-4, 375-yard No. 12, which ranks as the second-toughest hole of the week.

Despite a bogey at No. 16, Chaves still managed to leap four places in the standings with the tournament’s only sub-70 round after 36 holes.

The Aztecs boast three other golfers among the individual top 20, including Georgia Lacey (Del Mar, Calif.), who finds herself alone in 14th at 4-over 148 after firing her second straight 74. After beginning with a par, the SDSU senior sank a birdie on the par-5, No. 482-yard No. 2, but slipped into a funk, posting a double bogey and four bogeys over her next eight holes, as her score ballooned to 5-over for the day. However, the Torrey Pines High alumna closed with a flourish, posting five pars and three birdies, including a successful make on the par-3 148-yard No. 14, which ranks as the third-most difficult hole of the tournament.  

In addition, Gioia Carpinelli (Boppelsen, Switzerland) sits one shot in back of Lacey in a tie for 15th at 5-over 149, courtesy of a second-round 75. The Aztec freshman matched Chaves for the team lead with five birdies off her own, including conversions on the aforementioned 12th and 14th greens.  However, the Swiss native was plagued by inconsistency, suffering seven blemishes on her scorecard, including two bogeys and a double on her final three holes, which hastened her drop out of the top 10.

Conversely, sophomore Fernanda Escauriza (Asunción, Paraguay) catapulted 16 places in the standings into a tie for 18th at 8-over 152 after shooting a 74. The defending Mountain West medalist, who tied Chaves for the team lead with 11 pars on Tuesday, countered three bogeys on the front nine with a trio of birdies, including a drain on the par-4, 384-yard No. 16 to get back to even for the round. However, a double bogey-7 on the 18th prevented a steeper ascent.

Elsewhere, Sara Kjellker (Hollviken, Sweden) ended the day in a tie for 31st with a combined 12-over 156 on the heels of her second 78 in a row. The SDSU freshman struggled with four bogeys and a double on her first eight holes, but rebounded somewhat with birdies on the ninth and 11 greens followed by six straight pars. Like Carpinelli and Escauriza, however, she unable to finish strong after notching a bogey at No. 18.

The Mountain West Championship concludes on Wednesday when San Diego State hits the fairways along with UNLV and Nevada, starting at 8:30 a.m. on hole No. 1. A live scoring link, courtesy of Golfstat, will be available on GoAztecs.com.

2018 Mountain West Championship

Round Two Results

Mission Hills C.C.

Dinah Shore Tournament Course

Rancho Mirage, Calif.

Par 72, 6,270 yards

Team Scores

1. UNLV                               287-292—578 (+2)

2. San Diego State              298-292—590 (+14)

T3. New Mexico                  298-299—597 (+21)

T3. Nevada                          302-295—597 (+21)

5. Colorado State                306-295—601 (+25)

6. Fresno State                    295-311—606 (+30)

7. Wyoming                        307-305—612 (+36)

8. Boise State                      303-311—614 (+38)

9. San José State                 300-315—615 (+39)

Individual Leaders (Top 5 of 45 players + SDSU)        

1. Mila Chaves, SDSU                                       72-69—141 (-3)

2. Mackenzie Raim, New Mexico                    70-73—143 (-1)

T3. Ellen Secor, Colorado State                       74-71—145 (+1)

T3. Erin Sargent, Wyoming                              75-70—145 (+1)

T3. Shannon Oh, UNLV                                    72-73—145 (+1)

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14. Georgia Lacey, SDSU                                 74-74—148 (+4)

T15. Gioia Carpinelli, SDSU                             74-75—149 (+5)

T18. Fernanda Escauriza, SDSU                      78-74—152 (+8)

T31. Sara Kjellker, SDSU                                  78-78—156 (+12)

Day two results