(RMC Athletics release)
TEMPE, Ariz. – The ninth-ranked Rocky Mountain College women’s golf team extended its lead over Lewis-Clark State to 18 shots after the second round of the 2018 Frontier Conference Women’s Golf Championship on Tuesday morning at the ASU Karsten Golf Course.
Rocky shot 321 in the round to end the two days with 650 strokes. They gained nine strokes to their lead with 18 holes to play. The Battlin’ Bears are the only team in the field to break 300 and they have done it in each of the first two rounds.
The Battlin’ Bears scored 50 pars and three birdies on Tuesday and they lead the field with 95 pars over the two rounds. Rocky leads the field in scoring average on par-4 holes at 4.54 strokes per hole. They also lead the way at 3.68 on par-3 holes and 5.50 on par-5 holes.
Hayden Flohr maintained her position atop the individual standings by shooting 80 on Tuesday. She has taken 157 strokes over the two days. She made 10 pars in the second round and carded a birdie on the par-4 15th hole. Flohr is leading the field in par-4 scoring at an average of 4.20 strokes per hole.
Morgan O’Neil had the best round of the day by a Rocky player with a 79. It was just the second time O’Neil has broken 80 during the spring and it was the second lowest round of the day by any player in the field. After recording two birdies in her first four holes, O’Neil ran off 10 straight pars.
Anna DeMars used her 81 on Tuesday to finish the day in fourth-place with 163 strokes. She had nine pars in the round and now has 17 for the tournament.
Eryn Ellis is in fifth-place with 165 strokes after shooting 81 on Tuesday. She has 20 pars in the two rounds and is tied for the tourney lead by averaging 3.38 strokes on the par-3 holes.
Amanda Conner is tied with O’Neil in seventh-place with 18 total strokes. Conner shot 82 on Tuesday with nine pars.
Mariaa Louder from Lewis-Clark State had the low round of the day with a 74. She is tied for the lead with Flohr after moving up four spots on Tuesday.
Meantime, behind the strength of the low round of the tournament, the 13th-ranked Rocky Mountain College men’s golf team built a 10 stroke lead heading into Wednesday’s final round.
The Battlin’ Bears shot 287 at the ASU Karsten Golf Course on Tuesday to better their score from Monday by 11 shots. Rocky holds the lead over Lewis-Clark State with 585 total strokes. Their 26 birdies on Tuesday matches the total for the first two rounds by the next closest team.
Mitchell Thiessen shot 70 for the low round of the day by a Rocky player and he moved into a tie for first-place overall with 145 strokes. He was 4-under par on the back nine, including a stretch of five birdies over holes 12-18.
Colton Murphy shot 72 on Tuesday to finish tied with Thiessen for the lead at 145. He had six birdies in the round and he leads the field with 10 birdies in the first two rounds. Murphy is has taken advantage of the par-5 holes where he is 4-under through two rounds.
Michael Tait is tied for fourth after his 3-over par 75 left him at 147 through 36 holes. His second round featured five birdies and he ranks second in the field with nine birdies through two rounds. Tait has shot even par on the par-4 holes to lead the tournament.
HoTae Kim shot 1-under 71 on Tuesday to move up four sport to tied for 14th at 153. He had a stretch of birdies on three of four holes on the front and then carded three straight birdies on the back nine.
Reece Nilsen finished the second round tied for 10th after shooting 74 in round two for a two-round total of 152. He had three birdies in the second round and he has seven for the tournament.
Tucker Keyes of Lewis-Clark State is in third place with 146 strokes and first-round leader, Greg Jones from Carroll, is tied with Tait at 147.
The final round of the championship will be played on Wednesday morning at 8:30 a.m. MDT.
