Monday, March 20
Louisville, Ky. (Nevel Meade Golf Club)
1 p.m.
Central Michigan University
vs
Nevel Meade Collegiate
CMU sophomore Casilda Allendesalazar holds a two-shot lead after the first round of the Nevel Meade Intercollegiate in Prospect, Ky.
Photo by: John Sommers II/Sommers Photogra
Allendesalazar, CMU Lead Nevel Meade Intercollegiate at Midway Point
3/20/2023 8:15:00 PM | Women's Golf
Allendeslazar eyes third consecutive first-place finish
PROSPECT, Ky. – Central Michigan's Casilda Allendesalazar continued her torrid 2022-23 golf season on Monday when opened the Nevel Meade Collegiate at Nevel Meade Golf Course with a 2-under 70 for a two-shot lead.
Allendesalazar led the charge as the Chippewas posted a 297 team total and lead the 13-team tournament by four shots over Evansville (301).
The second and final round of the 36-hole event is scheduled for 11 a.m. Tuesday.
The tournament was scheduled for 54 holes, 36 on Monday and 18 on Tuesday, but was shortened to 36 when Monday's morning round was delayed by cold weather.
"I'm excited to see how we handle it, how we react to being in the lead and sleeping on it," CMU coach Ryan Williams said. "Being the frontrunners, it's a completely different mental state as far as being ready to go and handling certain things that happen in your mind.
"There's a good reason why we're in this position and they need to remember that and just continue to do what we've been doing. It's nice to have played really well today, and to have a little bit of a lead and see what we can do tomorrow."
CMU's Ashley Goh shot a 1-over 73 on Monday and is tied for fourth place in the 78-player field.
Allendesalazar's round included an eagle, three birdies and three bogeys; Goh had three birdies against four bogeys.
The Chippewas' Padgett Chitty and Claudia Salvador both shot 77 and are among a group tied for 16th. Also for the Chippewas, Rachel Kauflin shot 81 and Zoe Vartyan, playing as an individual, shot 83.
Allendesalazar leads Evansville teammates Allison Enchelmayer and Mallory Russell, both of whom came in at even-par 72 on Monday.
Allendesalazar, a sophomore from Spain, won the Huntsville.org Intercollegiate in Alabama two weeks ago and finished first at the Rio Verde Invitational in Arizona on the final weekend of February.
She had three top-five finishes in CMU's five fall tournaments and has posted six top-10 finishes in eight tournaments in the 2022-23 season.
She will vie for her fifth career victory on Tuesday. Seven of her last 10 rounds have been par or better.
"This is becoming more and more routine and you're not as excited about these rounds from her, which might sound bad, but it's what she's capable of," Williams said. "It's her making them look routine. She's doing it the right way and she's learning how to be steady in what she does. She's playing good golf right now and it's nice to see it continue.
"It's just her becoming more and more comfortable with her game. She's in the right mental place and I think she's good to go to pick the golf course apart (on Tuesday). She's focusing on every shot, she's not getting ahead of herself, and she's not letting anything get bigger than what it is right in front of her."
The Chippewas are eyeing their second victory of the season and their eighth since the start of the 2019-20 season. They captured the Shirley Spork EMU Invitational in Ypsilanti in early October.
Goh, who is having a fine season in her own right with a victory among three top-seven finishes, is squarely in the hunt just three shots back of her teammate.
"She's playing very, very good golf; very steady," Williams said. "She didn't make very many putts today. I think she has a little bit better in her and she knows that and that's a good thing. It's exciting to see her in the position she's in."
The Chippewa quartet of scorers on Monday made just one double bogey in a combined 72 holes, a remarkable feat considering the cold temperatures.
They will need all to deliver on Tuesday to secure the coveted tournament title.
"On a day like today to shoot 297 as a team, I think you've got to be really happy and tip your cap and recognize that they played hard, stuck to the game plan," Williams said. "I tell them that you're not going to be perfect out there, it's not going to be easy, you're going to make mistakes, and you'll have situations that you just have to get through. I asked them to do that again today and they did it.
"It shows that they're mentally in a really good place. Their attitudes are right where they need to be. They trust it and take everything as it comes and they're not panicking out there. They're making good decisions and I think that's the type of golf we need to play to have our best success. If we keep doing that we'll keep getting better."
Allendesalazar led the charge as the Chippewas posted a 297 team total and lead the 13-team tournament by four shots over Evansville (301).
The second and final round of the 36-hole event is scheduled for 11 a.m. Tuesday.
The tournament was scheduled for 54 holes, 36 on Monday and 18 on Tuesday, but was shortened to 36 when Monday's morning round was delayed by cold weather.
"I'm excited to see how we handle it, how we react to being in the lead and sleeping on it," CMU coach Ryan Williams said. "Being the frontrunners, it's a completely different mental state as far as being ready to go and handling certain things that happen in your mind.
"There's a good reason why we're in this position and they need to remember that and just continue to do what we've been doing. It's nice to have played really well today, and to have a little bit of a lead and see what we can do tomorrow."
CMU's Ashley Goh shot a 1-over 73 on Monday and is tied for fourth place in the 78-player field.
Allendesalazar's round included an eagle, three birdies and three bogeys; Goh had three birdies against four bogeys.
The Chippewas' Padgett Chitty and Claudia Salvador both shot 77 and are among a group tied for 16th. Also for the Chippewas, Rachel Kauflin shot 81 and Zoe Vartyan, playing as an individual, shot 83.
Allendesalazar leads Evansville teammates Allison Enchelmayer and Mallory Russell, both of whom came in at even-par 72 on Monday.
Allendesalazar, a sophomore from Spain, won the Huntsville.org Intercollegiate in Alabama two weeks ago and finished first at the Rio Verde Invitational in Arizona on the final weekend of February.
She had three top-five finishes in CMU's five fall tournaments and has posted six top-10 finishes in eight tournaments in the 2022-23 season.
She will vie for her fifth career victory on Tuesday. Seven of her last 10 rounds have been par or better.
"This is becoming more and more routine and you're not as excited about these rounds from her, which might sound bad, but it's what she's capable of," Williams said. "It's her making them look routine. She's doing it the right way and she's learning how to be steady in what she does. She's playing good golf right now and it's nice to see it continue.
"It's just her becoming more and more comfortable with her game. She's in the right mental place and I think she's good to go to pick the golf course apart (on Tuesday). She's focusing on every shot, she's not getting ahead of herself, and she's not letting anything get bigger than what it is right in front of her."
The Chippewas are eyeing their second victory of the season and their eighth since the start of the 2019-20 season. They captured the Shirley Spork EMU Invitational in Ypsilanti in early October.
Goh, who is having a fine season in her own right with a victory among three top-seven finishes, is squarely in the hunt just three shots back of her teammate.
"She's playing very, very good golf; very steady," Williams said. "She didn't make very many putts today. I think she has a little bit better in her and she knows that and that's a good thing. It's exciting to see her in the position she's in."
The Chippewa quartet of scorers on Monday made just one double bogey in a combined 72 holes, a remarkable feat considering the cold temperatures.
They will need all to deliver on Tuesday to secure the coveted tournament title.
"On a day like today to shoot 297 as a team, I think you've got to be really happy and tip your cap and recognize that they played hard, stuck to the game plan," Williams said. "I tell them that you're not going to be perfect out there, it's not going to be easy, you're going to make mistakes, and you'll have situations that you just have to get through. I asked them to do that again today and they did it.
"It shows that they're mentally in a really good place. Their attitudes are right where they need to be. They trust it and take everything as it comes and they're not panicking out there. They're making good decisions and I think that's the type of golf we need to play to have our best success. If we keep doing that we'll keep getting better."
Players Mentioned
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