Budnik tied for 7th, Kats in 11th from Washington
10/12/2015 11:16:00 PM | Women's Golf
Sam Houston State's Nicole Budnik fired a pair of opening day 75's to secure a tie for seventh at 6-over, 150, while the Bearkats finished their opening 36 holes in 11th at 56-over, 632 from the par-72, 6,086-yard Tacoma Country & Golf Club and Pat Lesser Harbottle Invitational in Tacoma, Wash.
The 14-team field is led by Washington's 4-over, 580, as the Huskies take a dominant 24-stroke lead over second-place Idaho heading into Tuesday's final round. All five Washington competitors rank in the top 10 including Julianne Alvarez's leading 1-under, 143.
Budnik is tied with nine others and is seven strokes off the lead while teammate Sarah Black also put together an impressive day, notching a pair of 78's to finish tied for 31st at 12-over, 156.
Celeste Lo got into the mix at 70th behind a 20-over, 164. The Bearkats fourth-seed shaved four strokes off her second round at 8-over. Meanwhile, Heather Shake totaled a 22-over, 166, to come in 74th followed closely by Jenna Phillips' 23-over, 167, in a tie for 76th.
As a unit, Sam Houston has executed well on the four par 3's, shooting 8-over in a tie for fourth with Washington, but has gone 15-over on three par 5's to sit 14th. The squad tapped in 13 birdies and took four strokes off their second round (314).
The Bearkats enter Tuesday just one stroke behind Portland State (55-over, 632). Sam Houston has notched top-10 finishes in each of its first three competitions including the top spot at the Bob Hurley ORU Shootout to close out September.
The final round will get underway at 8:30 a.m. For the latest, follow @SHSUWomenGolf on Twitter and visit GoBearkats.com.
