Women’s Golf Continues to Lead at The American Championships

PINEHURST, N.C. – With only 18 holes remaining, the University of Houston Women's Golf program held a 6-stroke lead following the Second Round of the American Athletic Conference Championships on Pinehurst No. 6 at Pinehurst Resort on Monday evening.

With the threat of inclement weather Monday, American Athletic Conference administrators and coaches elected to begin the Second Round on Sunday afternoon with most teams completing the front nine before play was suspended due to darkness.

The Cougars and other teams finished their back nines of the Second Round on the 6,290-yard, par-72 course on Monday afternoon after heavy rain hit the area in the morning.

The Cougars finished Monday's play with a score of 587 to stand six shots ahead of No. 28 UCF. SMU stood in third at 595, while Tulane (597), Memphis (602) and Tulsa (602) rounded out the Top-6 leaders.

Sophomore Nicole Abelar finished her Second Round at 1-under to lead the Cougars and was tied for second at even-par 144. The Metro Manila, Philippines, native drained eight straight pars to start her back nine before enduring her lone bogey of the day on No. 18.

Senior Annie Kim drained a pair of birdies on the first five holes of her back nine Tuesday on the way to a 75 and stood in eighth at 147.

Senior Maria Jose Martinez was tied for 12^th at 149, while senior Ariana Saenz rose into a tie for 19^th at 151. Porter drained her lone birdie of the Second Round on the par-4 11^th hole and closed the day with eight straight pars.

Sophomore Delaney Martin stood in 29^th at 154.

UCF's Tunrada Piddon was the only player to break par through the first 36 holes and held the individual lead at 3-under 141. Abelar joined Tulane's Sandra Vazquez and SMU's Kennedy Pedigo in a tie for second at 144, while Lilly Thomas (Tulsa), Serena Shah (SMU) and Kathryn Carson (East Carolina) were tied for fifth at 146.

The tournament concludes with the Final Round on Tuesday.

The winner of the three-day, 54-hole tournament receives the league's automatic bid to NCAA Regional play.

This is the Cougars' second appearance in The American Championships at Pinehurst #6 at Pinehurst Resort. A year ago, Houston finished second with a score of 891, while First-Team All-American Karen Fredgaard finished third at 218.

HOW to WATCH the FINAL ROUND
Fans can watch Tuesday's Final Round live on ESPN+ by clicking here. Lincoln Rose (play-by-play), Ed Clements (analyst) and Morgan Uber (reporter) will call the action.

LIVE SCORING
Fans can follow live scoring at the American Athletic Conference Championships by clicking here.

PAIRINGS
For Tuesday's Final Round, the Cougars will compete in pairs with student-athletes from No. 28 UCF, beginning at 8:25 a.m. (CDT) off No. 1.

Martin begins the day for the Cougars at 8:25 a.m. (CDT) with Saenz (8:33 a.m. CDT), Martinez (8:42 a.m. CDT), Kim (8:50 a.m. CDT) and Abelar following (8:59 a.m. CDT) following

Fans can find complete Final-Round pairings by clicking here.

HOUSTON in AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS HISTORY
This is Houston's eighth appearance at the American Athletic Conference Championships. The Cougars have finished among the Top-Three team leaders at the tournament every season in which it has eligible to compete, winning championships in 2019, 2018 and 2016.

Houston did not compete as a team at the 2014 American Championships, per NCAA rules, sending four student-athletes to play as individuals, while the 2020 Championships was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Leonie Harm is the only Cougar to win The American Championships individual title, posting a score of 8-under 208 at the 2019 event on the Conservatory Course at Hammock Beach Resort & Golf Club in Palm Coast, Fla.

In addition to Harm, Houston boasts 16 individual Top-10 finishes at The American Championships.

UP NEXT
Following the American Athletic Conference Championships, the Cougars will learn their NCAA postseason fate during the Selection Show, airing at 4 p.m., Wednesday, April 27, on Golf Channel.

Seventy-two teams and 12 individuals not on those teams will compete at six NCAA Regional sites across the nation. Those venues include Stanford Golf Course (Stanford, Calif.); Vanderbilt Legends Club (Franklin, Tenn.); The Championship Course at UNM (Albuquerque, N.M.); University of Michigan Golf Course (Ann Arbor, Mich.); Karsten Creek Golf Club (Stillwater, Okla.) and Seminole Legacy Golf Club (Tallahassee, Fla.).

JOIN the P.A.R. 4 CLUB
Fans are invited to join The P.A.R. 4 Club to support Houston Women's Golf. P.A.R. 4 Club members provide financial support directly to Houston Women's Golf for needs beyond the program's operating budget.

Fans who join the P.A.R. 4 Club can begin receiving benefits for as little as $100 annually. For more information about the P.A.R. 4 Club, levels of giving and benefits, fans can click here.

STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarWGolf on Twitter and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at UHCougarWGolf or on the team's Instagram page at UHCougarWGolf.

– UHCougars.com –

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