PHOENIX — The University of Colorado women’s golf team is tied for 10th place after the first round of the 2023 Pac-12 Championship, Monday at the Papago Golf Course.
Colorado shot 9-over-par, 297, to tie with Washington State and is sitting seven spots out of the top six and nine out of the top four.
No. 14 USC and No. 29 Arizona pulled away from the pack a little after day one. The Trojans are the 18-hole leader at 9-under, 279, with the Wildcats three strokes back at 6-under, 282. Top-ranked Stanford is third at 1-under followed by No. 9 Oregon and No. 36 California tied for fourth at even.
Colorado was poised to be positioned a couple spots higher, but had some struggles down the stretch. The Buffaloes were on pace for a spring-season low round sitting at 5-over collectively through the first 15 holes, which would have put them in the top eight. The Buffaloes had a pair of 7-over rounds on this same course three weeks ago at the PING/ASU Invitational.
However, Colorado dropped four strokes over the final three holes, including two at the long par 3 (214 yards) on No. 17.
While the Buffaloes hit the ball well overall, the struggles came on the green.
“Too many three putts,” Colorado head coach Anne Kelly said. “Tough finish coming in really hurt the team score. Hoping to improve putting sped on the greens tomorrow, make a few birdies and move up the leaderboard.”
Freshman Morgan Miller led Colorado and is tied with seven others for 16th overall with a 72. She is just two strokes out of the top five and five out of the lead.
Miller bogeyed the 532-yard, par 5, No. 1, but then proceeded to make par on the next 13 holes. She moved back to even with a birdie on the 512-yard, No. 15, but dropped back to 1-over with a bogey at No. 17. Miller rebounded with a birdie on the 410-yard, par 4, No. 18, to cement her team-best eighth even-par round of the season.
Sophomore Natalie Vo is tied for 24th, one-stroke back of Miller after shooting 1-over, 73. Vo had half of Colorado’s eight birdies on the day, and was positioned for a round in the red, sitting at 1-under through 17 after birdies on No. 12 and No. 14, but dropped out of the top 20 with a double-bogey on No. 18.
Senior Haylin Harris had her best round of the spring season and is tied for 31st at 2-over, 74. Her first round was…
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