The UNM women's golf team held its own at the Ping/ASU Invitational in Tempe, Ariz., April 4-6, finishing sixth in a tournament that featured 12 of the top-30 teams in the nation.
The 11th-ranked Lobos sat in fifth place after the first round with an 8-over-par 296, but struggled in tough, windy conditions on day two, posting a 17-over 305. In Sunday's final round, however, UNM fired the second-best score of the day, an even-par-288, to climb back into the fray.
"We played a great round today - something we need to start doing for three days in a row," head coach Jackie Booth said.
She added that her team's inconsistency is due in part to a lineup that lacks a single senior.
If the Lobos are indeed missing experienced leadership, they make up for it with strong, young talent. Kailin Downs is the top-ranked sophomore in the nation and is ranked 26th overall.
The Ping/ASU gave Downs her sixth fourth-place finish since first donning the cherry and silver. She fired rounds of 71-76-69-216, seven shots off the pace set by UCLA's Charlotte Mayorkas.
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Consistent ballstriking from Downs marked Friday's first round, but the greens at the 6,183 yard, par-72 ASU Karsten Course were unkind to her.
"I was hitting it to 20 feet a lot, but the putts just weren't dropping," she said.
Downs, like the rest of the field, had her problems in Saturday's swirling winds, hitting shots into places that "weren't exactly key."
Downs' patience was finally rewarded Sunday though. She was 1-over-par through her first eight holes in the final round, then birdied the par-4 ninth.
She made four more birdies on her way to the house, thanks to her putter, which came to life on the back nine.
"I made some pretty good ones," she said. "I only hit it inside 10 feet once or twice - the rest were from between 15 and 25 feet."
Downs' had plenty of help in Tempe, including a solid performance from junior Kristi Larsen, a native of nearby Scottsdale, Ariz. Larsen finished tied for 21st with rounds of 73-77-75-225.
"I'm just proud of the team for playing really, really well today," Downs said after Sunday's round.
Sophomore Christina Spence matched Larsen's three-day total, tossing in an all-important final-round 72, highlighted by three birdies.
Katrina Leckovic, a junior from British Columbia, also shot even-par Sunday and finished the tournament at 226, tied for 31st.
Sophomore Shannon Johnson posted rounds of 84-76-75-235 and finished tied for 68th.
A mere three strokes separated the top-three finishing teams in Tempe. The University of California secured victory with rounds of 288-293-295-876; one better than the University of Texas and two clear of UCLA. USC was fourth at 879.
Perennial powerhouse University of Arizona, currently ranked fifth in the Golfweek/Sagarin poll, edged UNM out of the top-five by three shots. The Lobos' 889 total was 15 strokes lower than host Arizona State University, which finished seventh.
"Beating them was fun," Booth said. "It wasn't even close."
Next up for the Lobos is the Mountain West Conference Women's Golf Championship, which will be played April 24-26 near Bend, Ore., Downs' home town.
"I've played the golf course several times, including conference last year," she said. "I'm pretty excited."
