GOODYEAR, Ariz. – The Colorado Mesa women's golf team played the first round of the Palm Valley Classic on Friday (Apr. 1) afternoon at Palm Valley Golf Course. The tournament is hosted by the Ruidoso Junior Golf Association and features a massive field of 28 schools and 146 golfers.
 
The Mavericks are in a tie for 22^nd place on the team leaderboard after firing a 318 in their opening round, tying Simon Fraser. Academy of Art is just one stroke ahead of them while seven strokes are separating them, and top-15 finish.
 
Cal State Monterey Bay is currently leading the tournament with a 1-under, 287 after one round.
 
Elly Walters is in a tie for 18^th place on the individual leaderboard after firing a 2-over, 74. Walters played the front side to a 2-under, 34 and was playing well on the back as she was even with two holes to go before finishing with two bogeys.
 
Cassidy Phelan and Myranda Kotlowski each shot matching 9-over, 81s in the first round. Phelan had one birdie on her card while Kotlowski had two birdies.
 
Crystle Querol had an interesting round. She opened her round with two straight pars then had an 11 on the par 4, 380-yard No. 3 hole. She played the rest of the round to 3-over and had to settle for quite possibly the best 10-over, 82 we have seen.
 
Brandy McClain, playing as an individual, shot a 5-over, 77 in her opening round. She is in a tie for 50^th place on the leaderboard as she played her back nine to a 1-over, 37.
 
West Texas A&M's Gam Songprasert and Cal State Monterey Bay's Isabel Carpenter are in the lead for the individual honors at 4-under, 68.
 
Tomorrow's second and final round will begin around 7:00am.