SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The New Mexico women’s golf team had a strong start to the 2023 NCAA Championship on Friday at Grayhawk Golf Club. The No. 39 Lobos shot 1-under during the opening round, the first time in program history that UNM shot under par for a round at the NCAA finals, and tied for fifth in the 30-team field.
“It was incredible to have New Mexico’s first under-par round at a NCAA Championship,” said head coach Jill Trujillo. “They played really steady and made a ton of birdies on the front nine. … Our aim after the first round is to be in position, and we certainly did that, but there is a lot of golf left to go.”
Wake Forest is the opening round leader at 9-under, one shot ahead of Oklahoma State at 8-under.
Georgia and South Carolina are tied for third at 2-under, while New Mexico is tied for fifth with Texas A&M.
Leading the Lobos on Friday was Lisa-Marie Pagliano, a sophomore from Lyon, France, who shot the first under-par round of her collegiate career with a 2-under 70 to finish the day tied for 10th.
It is the lowest round by a New Mexico player at the NCAA Championship since Alexandra Phelps shot a first-round 69 playing the 2008 finals as an individual at the UNM Championship Course.
Jenny Lertsadwattana was also in red figures on Friday with a 1-under 71. Lauren Lehigh and Myah McDonald each shot a 1-over 73, while Maria Caparros Levin rounded out the lineup with a first-round 75.
The Lobos will play the second round of the tournament on Saturday afternoon, as each school will play in the opposite wave (morning/afternoon) than in the first round.
