Cats Open Pac-12 Championships With Textbook Round

PHOENIX, Ariz. – A hot day of desert golf brought the best out of No. 22 Arizona Women’s Golf on the first day of the Pac-12 Championships as the Wildcats finished Monday in second place at 6-under par. Arizona placed a trio of golfers in the top 10 of leaderboards with sophomore Carolina Melgrati leading the way at 4-under and a tie for second place.

“We came out this morning and executed our gameplan on every hole,” said head coach Laura Ianello. “I am incredibly proud of how our young ladies set the tone by playing with confidence and determination. Placing three golfers in the top ten was indicative of how strong our entire team played today. Our focus is going back out on Tuesday and carding another quality round by building on our confidence and preparation.”

Melgrati jumped up the leaderboards from her first hole and carded a bogey-free back nine at 4-under before making the turn. She played her best golf on Papago Golf Club’s longest holes, finishing the first round in a tie for first in par-5 scoring at 3-under. With a 4-under opening round of 68, Melgrati sits alone in second place and one shot behind tournament leader Rose Zhang of Stanford.

Freshman Julia Misemer gave Arizona a second top-five showing on Monday with a 2-under round of 70. She also opened her day with strong scores on her first nine holes, including three straight birdies on the 11^th, 12^th and 13^th holes. Sophomore Lilas Pintheir also finished in the top 10, carding an opening round of 71.

Arizona enters Tuesday’s second round three shots behind tournament leader USC. The Wildcats joined the Trojans and the Cardinal as the only three teams to break par in the first round.