TACOMA, Wash. - The Nevada Women's Golf team had a dominant performance on the first day of competition at the 2023 Pat Lesser Harbottle Invitational, and the team will head into the third and final round tomorrow morning in sole possession of first place in the 22 team-field.

Three Nevada golfers are in the top-11 on the individual leaderboard entering the final round, led by sophomore Gabby Kano, who was phenomenal across the first 36 holes and is currently tied for first overall at -1 in a field of 117 golfers. 

Freshman Nikki Chindavong also had an exceptional day for the Pack, and she is tied for seventh at even par. Leah John is the third Pack golfer in the top-11, and she is tied for 11th at +1 after two rounds.

Round One

Nevada had a strong start to the day, as they recorded a team score of 293 (+5) for the first round, placing them in sole possession of third place entering the second round. 

Kano led the way for the Pack in their impressive round performance, as the sophomore carded a team-best 71 (-1). Beginning her round on hole 5, Kano parred the first three holes before picking up back-to-back bogeys; however, Kano displayed exceptional resilience throughout the remainder of the round. She put together a phenomenal stretch of play over the final 13 holes, tallying 10 pars and three birdies to complete the round at -1. 

Making her debut appearance in the Wolf Pack lineup, Chindavong had the best round of her young career, carding an even-par 72. Chindavong was solid and consistent throughout the first set of 18 holes, as she tallied 14 pars, two birdies, and two bogeys to record the 72.

John came in right behind Chindavong in round one, carding a 73 (+1). John had 15 pars and one birdie throughout the round. 

Anna Shultse carded a 77 (+5) and Raesa Sheikh rounded out the Wolf Pack lineup by carding a 78 (+6) across the first set of 18 holes.  

Round Two

Kano was even more impressive in the afternoon round than the first round, recording the second-best single round score of her career with a 70 (-2). Kano tallied 14 pars, three birdies, and just one bogey across the second set of 18 holes. She enters the final round tied for first overall on the individual leaderboard at -3, as she aims to claim the first title of her young career. 

Chindavong also had another stellar performance in the second round, carding a 72 (E) for the second consecutive round. Chindavong had 16 pars, one birdie, and one bogey throughout the second round. The freshman is tied seventh overall heading into the third round tomorrow. 

John also carded an even-par 72 in the second round, and she is tied for ninth at +1 with 18 holes remaining. John tallied 14 pars, two birdies, and two bogeys throughout the second round. 

After recording a 77 in the first round, Shultse bounced back to card a 73 (+1) in the second round, advancing her 28 spots on the leaderboard and into a tie for 41st at +6 after 36 holes of play. Shultse had 11 pars and three birdies in the afternoon round.

Sheikh rounded out the Nevada lineup, recording a 75 (+3) in the second round. She is tied for 62nd overall heading into the final set of 18 holes. 

Nevada holds the top position on the leaderboard by two strokes entering the third round, as the Pack will seek to secure their first title of the season on Tuesday. 

Nevada will return to the course tomorrow morning for the final round, with a shotgun start set for 8 a.m.

Team Leaderboard

1. Nevada - 293-287=580 (+4)

2. Santa Clara - 292-290=582 (+6)

3. UC Irvine - 298-286=584 (+8)

Nevada Results

T1. Gabby Kano - 71-70=141 (-3)

T7. Nikki Chindavong - 72-72=144 (E)

T11. Leah John - 73-72=145 (+1)

T41. Anna Shultse - 77-73=150 (+6)

T62- Raesa Sheikh - 78-75=153 (+9)

Live Scoring

Live scoring will be available throughout the event at birdiefire.com.

Follow The Pack  

Follow Nevada Women's Golf on social media at @NevadaWGolf (X), @nevadawgolf (Instagram), and on Facebook at @NevadaWGolf.