BROKEN ARROW, Okla. — Camryn Carreon is one shot off the individual lead and the UTSA women’s golf team is in fourth place after the first day of the Dale McNamara Invitational, which got underway Monday at the Golf Club of Oklahoma (par 72/6,242 yards).
Carreon has sole possession of third place at 7-under par through 36 holes, only one stroke behind Nebraska’s Kelli Ann Strand and South Florida’s Melanie Green with the final round looming on Tuesday. The senior all-conference performer fired rounds of 69 and 68 to run her streak of par-or-better rounds to seven and give her six sub-70 scorecards in eight total rounds this season.
Meanwhile, UTSA is in fourth place at 2-under 574. After opening with a 290, the Roadrunners carded a 4-under 284 in the afternoon to put them six shots off the lead held by Tulsa at 8-under 568. South Florida is in second at 5-under while Colorado State stands third (-3). UTSA has a nine-stroke advantage on Nebraska and Sam Houston in the 14-team field.
Carreon, who is coming off her third career victory at the Badger Invitational last month, opened her week by recording a 3-under 69 in the morning round. The San Antonio native followed a par on her first hole with back-to-back birdies on Nos. 2-3. She then reeled off five consecutive pars, her only bogey of the day and three more pars before her next birdie, a four on the 489-yard 13th. She closed the round with four pars and a birdie on the 331-yard, par-4 16th.
Carreon’s afternoon scorecard was bogey-free and featured four birdies as part of a 32 on the front, followed by nine pars on the back. The 2023 NCAA San Antonio Regional champion has played the par fours at 4-under and has logged 27 pars and eight birdies through 36 holes.
Morgan Ellison has a share of 14th place at even-par 144. The junior from Peachtree City, Georgia, carded a pair of 72s with four birdies in the opening round and three more in the afternoon, including circling her number on the eighth and 16th holes in each trip around the course.
Maria Bastarrica is two shots behind Ellison in a tie for 23rd at 2-over 146. The freshman from Spain bounced back from a 74 in the morning with an even-par 72 in round two on the strength of birdies on the 506-yard, par-5 first and 414-yard, par-4 14th.
Olivia Williams is part of a tie for 42nd at 5-over 149. The sophomore from England countered a 77 in the first round with a 72 in the afternoon after writing down five birdies, with four coming on the back nine.
Daniela Abonce rounds out the UTSA lineup in a tie for 67th (75-79—154), while Hunter Nugent is 81st (80-80—160) while playing as an individual.
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