Lincoln, Nebraska - After 36 holes the UBC Thunderbirds sit in a fourth place overall, five shots behind the leaders, at the NAIA Women's Golf Championships in Lincoln, Nebraska. UBC finished round two with a combined score of 308, improving on their score of 312 in round one.
Second Round - Team Scores
Second Round - Individual Scores
Teeing off in the afternoon, the Thunderbirds once again had to deal with gusty conditions at the Wilderness Ridge Golf Club. Down 11 shots heading into the day, the 'Birds were able to cut into the lead getting to within five shots of the leaders. Cal.State-San Marcos and Oklahoma City University are tied for first at +39 (615) after both teams shot rounds of 305 on Wednesday. Lubbock Christian University is three shots back at +42 (618), while the Thunderbirds are in fourth place at +44 (620). First round leader Embry-Riddle is 20 shots off the pace after a score of 334 on day two.
"We got off to a slow start and our putters weren't firing in the first nine, but then over the last six holes we started to calm down, the wind died down, and we started to get more birdie chances to rally late and keep us in contention," said UBC head coach Chris MacDonald. "Here we are five back, right where we want to be with two rounds left."
Haley Cameron led the 'Birds on day two with her second straight round of 76. She sits at +8 for the tournament and is tied for fifth place in the chase for an individual title. She has been the team's most consistent player over the last couple of weeks and is coming off a second place finishl at the Association of Independent Institutions Conference Championship in Texas.
"This course really suits Haley," said MacDonald. "She is playing smart, playing for par, and taking what the course is giving her."
Oklahoma City University's Jessica Schiele leads the field by four strokes after a sparkling four under 68 in round two. She currently sits at -1 through 36 holes.
Kylie Barros is tied for seventh overall after a round of 78 Wednesday. She was able to settle down after starting the day four over through seven holes. Currently she is at +9 overall.
Falling putts were hard to come by as Stephanie Wong could attest to in round two, however, she hit a big birdie putt on 18 to finish her day off right, carding a +5 (77). She is at +13 for the tournament.
Casara Hong nearly holed out from 150 yards away on her opening hole of the day. She had to settle for a birdie on route to a +5 (77). She is one stroke back of Wong in a tie for 35th overall at +14.
The Wilderness Ridge Golf Course has not been kind to Reagan Wilson. After an opening round 83, she followed it up with a +12 (84) on Wednesday. She will look to put the first two days behind her when the women tee off Thursday afternoon.
UBC will be in a group with Savannah SCAD and William Woods tomorrow, going off the tee beginning at 11:00 am PST. Savannah SCAD is in fifth place overall seven shots behind UBC, while William Woods is in sixth, eight strokes back. The final group will have the top three teams, Cal.State-San Marcos, Oklahoma City University, and Lubbock Christian University together.
"All you want to be in the national championship is in the mix until the last nine holes of the tournament and then hope for a few good breaks and a few putts to fall and who knows," said MacDonald. "Today was not one of our best days, but we hung in there, showed some resilience and got ourselves within striking distance."
