BOULDER CITY, Nev. – Grand Canyon tied its season’s best single-round score on the first day of the Clash at Boulder Creek at Boulder City Golf Club.
GCU shot 14 over par in the first round and was tied for 16th out of 18 schools before having its best team single-round score of the season in the second round, going 11 under to jump nine spots to eighth place.
After the down-then-up day, the Lopes are 3 over and four strokes back of South Dakota State and UTEP in a tie for fourth place.
GCU’s best individual score in the first round was even par by junior Jess Haines, who is playing as an individual alongside freshman teammate Honor Johnson. Haines shot even par with 16 pars, one birdie and one bogey. The team did put some yellow numbers on the scorecard with three eagles, two of which came from freshman Rosie Maguire, who shot 4 over in the first round.
The second round was a complete 180-degree turn for the Lopes, who had three of the five scoring players shoot even par or better. Freshman Alexis Vakasiuola shot 6 under with five birdies and an eagle to just one bogey for a 66 total. GCU junior Lena
Tremouille shot 5 under with four birdies, an eagle and one bogey. Vakasiuola jumped 55 spots to sixth and 3 under, while Tremouille moved 56 spots to 25th at even.
Lopes sophomore Allie Justiz caught fire early in her second round, notching three straight pars and then three straight birdies over her first six holes. She shot a 2-under 70, including nine pars on the back nine to move 34 spots into 47th at 3 over.
Maguire is tied for 68th with a 6-over total, going 2 over with three birdies on the back nine. GCU freshman Clara Duerr is tied with Maguire at 6 over , followed by Haines in 33rd (1 over) and Johnson 76th (8 over) as the individual entries.
GCU has the field’s most eagles, five, for three more than the next, shooting 10 under on par-five holes, tied for second best among all teams. Its par total of 110 is sixth best in the field.
Northern Arizona leads the tournament at 16 under, followed by New Mexico State at 13 under and North Dakota State at 5 under.
Final-round action resumes Tuesday morning in Boulder City, Nevada.
