HUMBLE, Texas — Daniela Abonce fired a career-best, 7-under-par 65 to highlight opening-day action for the UTSA women’s golf team at the Chevron Collegiate, which got underway Monday at the Golf Club of Houston (par 72/6,171 yards).
Abonce’s 65 is tied for the second-best round in program history and it followed an even-par 72 for the morning 18 to put the sophomore from Veracruz, Mexico in a tie for eighth place at 7-under 137. In fact, her 36-hole total is the second-best score in school annals behind only a 136 she posted last fall at the Sam Golden Invitational and was first recorded by Ana Gonzalez in 2019.
Abonce teed off from No. 12 in the shotgun start and followed a par with the first of eight birdies in the round, a four on the 478-yard 13th. She also birdied the 391-yard, par-4 17th before heading to the front side of the course where she reeled off four consecutive birdies on Nos. 2-5 and two more on the eighth and ninth holes to close out a 31 on that side. She is only two shots out of the lead shared by the Maryland duo of Nicha Kanpai and Patricie Mackova, along with Texas A&M’s Adela Cernousek at 9-under 135.
Camryn Carreon also dipped below 70 for the 25th time as a Roadrunner with a 5-under 67 in the first round. The senior all-conference performer had six birdies, including four en route to a 32 on the back side, to start her week. She settled for a 74 in the afternoon and has a share of 27th at 3-under 141.
Morgan Ellison is in a tie for 60th at 4-over 148 after posting rounds of 75 and 73, while Maria Bastarrica (75-75—150) and Olivia Williams (79-71—150) round out the lineup in 69th.
In the team race, UTSA is in 12th at 4-under 572 (289-283), four shots ahead of No. 33 Oklahoma State (E) and six in front of TCU (+2). The Roadrunners are only three strokes behind host 29th-ranked Houston (-7) and four shy of UNLV (-8) in the 16-team field led by No. 14 Texas A&M (-23) and No. 34 SMU (-23).
The final round is set for Tuesday.
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