Sour second round leaves UNLV women’s golf near ouster at NCAAs

Saturday was a long and trying day for UNLV at the NCAA women’s golf championship in Bradenton, Fla., and the Rebels’ season is on the brink of ending.

UNLV is 22nd out of 24 teams entering today’s third round at Concession Golf Club after a nightmarish second round that produced a 36-over-par score of 324.

The top 15 teams after today’s round advance to the final round of stroke play Monday. Then the top eight advance to match play starting Tuesday.

“The golf course got the best of us,” UNLV coach Amy Bush-Herzer said. “We talk a lot about emotional control, and when we made the turn, they got down on themselves and couldn’t bring it back.

“(Today) I want them to forget about the scoreboard and just go out, play and have fun.”

Play was suspended Saturday for a second straight day because of lightning. Southern California was leading when the course was cleared.

UNLV was among several teams still on the course Friday when play was suspended. That meant an early wake-up call Saturday to finish the round before starting the second round.

UNLV finished with a first-round score of 305, with freshman Mackenzie Raim posting the best score, a 2-over 74.

Raim was unable to sustain her momentum in the second round. Starting on the back nine, she was 2 under through six holes before disaster struck.

Raim took a triple-bogey 7 at the par-4 16th and bogeys at the par-5 17th and par-4 18th to make the turn at 3 over. She ended her round with a quadruple-bogey 8 at the par-4 No. 8 and a double-bogey at the par-4 ninth to finish at 10-over 82.

Freshman Harley Dubsky shot 78 for UNLV’s best round. Senior All-American Dana Finkelstein again struggled, shooting 79 after a first-round 75. She bogeyed five straight holes to start her back nine.

UNLV’s other contributing score was an 85 by senior Mayko Chwen Wang.

Most of the Rebels struggled on the back nine. They had only three birdies for the second straight day, three double bogeys, a triple bogey and a quadruple bogey. For the round, they had 11 holes in which they took double-bogey or higher.

“Too many big numbers,” Bush-Herzer said. “If you take those out of the equation, we’re in the middle of the pack and in the hunt.”

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj.