GOODYEAR, Ariz. – MSU Denver made a strong first impression at the RJGA Palm Valley Classic on Friday.
Winnie Shaw eagled the first hole of the day and
Isabel Botero shot a career-best round of 2-over-par 74 to lead the Roadrunners to a tie for 18
th place at the halfway point of the two-day event.
Shaw got her first collegiate eagle on the 305-yard, par-4 first hole, using a gap wedge to hole out from 87 yards away. It started a road that saw her 1-under through 10 holes before she eventually finished with a 7-over 79 on the 6,045-yard, par-72 Palm Valley Golf Club course, putting her in a tie for 62
nd.
Botero, meanwhile, shot 37-37-74 and is tied for 18
th in the 146-player field. Botero's best previous round was a 76.
"I'm so proud of Isa," MSU Denver coach Stef Ferguson said. "She was very steady and committed all day."
After playing the front nine at 7-over, MSU Denver carded a 19-over on the back and is tied for 18
th in the 28-team field at 26-over heading into Saturday's final day.
Sydney Eye and
Courtney Lawler each shot 9-over.
"We had such a great start today," Ferguson said. Our front nine was really solid. The same issues with finishing the round got us, though. We were 10 over on the last four, so we need to do better closing the round out."
