RESULTS
CORNVILLE, Ariz. (March 23, 2019) – Northern Arizona University's golf program hosted the first day of the 14
th Annual Red Rocks Invitational today at the Agave Highlands Course in Cornville, Ariz.
The Red Rocks Invitational is the 'Jacks first and only home event of the season.
Aleksandra Chekalina and company made sure to take advantage of the home field, with the Lumberjacks tying for fourth-place with New Mexico State on the overall team leaderboard. NAU was seven-over par as a team at the end of the second round. The 'Jacks are six shots off the lead.
The 'Jacks had a strong first round team performance, finishing in second-place at the end of the first round with a total tally of just 278.
"We had a great morning round," said head women's golf coach
Brad Bedortha. "There were some really great performances on our team."
Montana State golfer Delaney Elliot is the Invitational's top individual performer at the conclusion of the first two rounds. She shot for seven-under par.
At just one-over par as a team, Gonzaga sits atop the team leaderboard in first-place. Cal State Fullerton is in second-place at five-over par and NAU's Big Sky Conference rival Southern Utah is in third at six-over par.
Chekalina was NAU's top individual golfer on the day, tying for fifth-place with Gonzaga's Quynn Duong after going three-under par thru the first two rounds. In the first round she hit a double-eagle on the Seventh Hole. Chekalina would also birdie on the Eighth and 11
th Holes in the first round. In the second round she birdied three time on the Fourth, Fifth and 18
th Holes.
Elle Kocourkova also had a career day as she ended the second round of play in a six-way tie for 13
th-place on the player leaderboard. She was one-over par at the end of the second round. Kocourkova also shot for a double-eagle in the first round, she was able to do so on the 12
th Hole. She would also shoot for a birdie on the Third Hole of the first round. A triple-bogey on the 17
th Hole would be one of her only blemishes during the first day of the Invitational.
In the second round Kocourkova was able to get a birdie on the Third Hole again and was on-par on every other hole, except for the Fourth Hole where she bogeyed.
Ashley Croft tied for 27
th-place on the player leaderboard after going four-over par thru the first two rounds. Croft birdied on four holes in the first round (First, Third, Seventh and 11
th Holes), but also bogeyed on three holes (Sixth, Ninth and 13
th Holes).
Emma Reyes was right behind Croft, as she shot for five-over par thru the first two rounds. She tied for 35
th-place and had a solid first round performance shooting for birdies on five holes and only going over par once on the 17
th Hole where she would bogey. Reyes had one of the best performances of her collegiate career during the first round as she fired a career lowest tally of 67 (four-under par).
Sara Padilla rounded out the scoring for the Lumberjacks, ending the first day of the Invitational in a tie for 87
th-place. Padilla currently sits at 15-over par heading into the final round.
"Emma shooting for 67 was incredible and our freshmen really stepped up," added Bedortha. "Overall it was a good day and hopefully we can back it up tomorrow."
The third and final round will begin tomorrow March 24th at 8:30 A.M. (MST) with a Shotgun Start.
