PALM COAST, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) - The UCF women's golf team was on fire on the front nine Monday at the Hammock Beach Resort Conservatory Course. But they cooled off on the back nine and slid to second place after two rounds at the American Athletic Conference Championship.
The Knights led by six strokes after Sunday's first round. They roared out of the gate Monday, racking up 15 birdies against just four bogeys among the four golfers - Ashley Holder, Maria Balcazar, Ayaka Nakayama and Kaeli Jones - who ended up counting toward the team's score. UCF built a 15-stroke edge over second-place Houston at one point during the day's action.
But the back nine was a different story. The same four Knights who were -11 on the front nine carded scores that totaled +12 after the turn. UCF recorded three double bogeys, six bogeys and just four birdies on the back half of the course.
Meanwhile, Houston heated up on holes 10-18. The Cougars were -5 on the back and -6 for the day. Combined with UCF's backslide, Houston was able to grab a one-stroke edge heading into Tuesday's final round of play. The Cougars have a two-round total of 572 (-4), while UCF is at 573 (-3). SMU is third at 580 (+4).
Individually, Houston's Leonie Harm holds the lead at 8-under for the tournament. Holder, who was paired with Harm for the first two rounds and will be again Tuesday, was right with her for much the second round. A late double bogey for Holder left her at 4-under for the tournament, giving Harm a four-stroke edge over her nearest competitors. Cincinnati's Ashley Cassidy is also -4.
Balcazar is just one stroke behind Holder and Cassidy in fourth place at 3-under. Jones is in ninth place at even par. Nakayama is tied for 23rd at 5-over. Johanna Larsson rounds out the UCF lineup and is currently tied for 26th at +6.
The third and final round is set to begin at 8 a.m. Monday. Championship presentations will follow immediately after the final round. Live scoring will be available at the link above.