Saldana Leads Women’s Golf at MountainView Collegiate

SADDLEBROOKE, Ariz. – University of Houston Women's Golf freshman Alexa Saldana drained three birdies with only one bogey in the First Round to tie for ninth and lead the Cougars at the MountainView Collegiate on Friday afternoon.

Starting her day off No. 10 on the par-72, 6,352-yard course at MountainView Golf Club, Saldana moved to red numbers with a birdie on the par-4 12^th hole. The Mexico City native returned to even par with a bogey on No. 14, but that was the only blemish on her scorecard for the day.

She returned under par with a birdie on No. 18 and added her final birdie of the day on No. 3 before closing the First Round with six straight pars.

Alexa Saldana, MountainView Collegiate First-Round recap (March 17, 2023)

Alexa Saldana, MountainView Collegiate First-Round recap (March 17, 2023)

As a team, the Cougars posted a score of 291 to finish 15^th.

TCU held the First-Round lead with a score of 276 to finishing three shots ahead of San Jose State.

Iowa State and Ohio State were tied for third at 280 with Tulsa (285), UNLV (286), New Mexico (287), Arkansas (287), North Texas (288), Nebraska (289) and North Carolina (289) rounding out the Top-11 leaders.

Fellow freshman Natalie Saint Germain joined Saldana among the Top-20 leaders with a 71 and was tied for 18^th. The Prague native drained back-to-back birdies on Nos. 14-15 and overcame consecutive bogeys on Nos. 3-4 with her final birdie of the day on the par-4 sixth hole.

Freshman Moa Svedenskiold was tied for 57^th with a 74 while junior Nicole Abelar was tied for 73^rd at 76. Super senior Annie Kim was tied for 80^th with a 77.

TCU's Caitlyn Macnab and Iowa State's Karisa Chul-ak-sorn each posted 65s and held the First-Round lead by three strokes over Ohio State teammates Jillian Bourdage and Caley McGinty and Lucia Lopez-Ortega (San Jose State).

The three-day, 54-hole event continues Saturday with 18 holes scheduled each day through Sunday.

LIVE SCORING
Fans can follow live scoring at the MountainView Collegiate by clicking here.

PAIRINGS
For Saturday's Second Round, Houston will compete in groups with student-athletes from Wisconsin and Missouri.

Saldana begins the day for the Cougars at 10 a.m. (CDT) off No. 10 with Kim (10:09 a.m. CDT), Abelar (10:18 a.m. CDT), Saint Germain (10:27 a.m. CDT) and Svedenskiold (10:36 a.m. CDT) following.

Fans can find complete pairings by clicking here.

UP NEXT
Following the MountainView Collegiate, the Cougars wrap up their regular season when they tee off at The Bruzzy in Ardmore, Okla., on April 1-2.

From there, Houston takes its first steps in the postseason when it tees off at the American Athletic Conference Championships at Southern Hills Plantation Club in Brooksville, Fla., on April 17-19.

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.

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