SACRAMENTO, Calif. - In the first tournament of the spring season, Nevada Women's Golfer Leah John maintained her exceptional play from the fall, as she carded back-to-back rounds of 72 on the first day of The Causeway Invitational, placing her in a tie for first place with 18 holes remaining.

John's tremendous performance helped propel the Pack to fifth place on the team leaderboard after the first two rounds of play. Nevada carded a 297 (+9) for the first round, prior to  recording a score of 299 (+11) in the second round. The Pack's 36-hole score of 596 (+2) placed them in fifth entering the final round. 

John struggled out the gates, recording five pars and four bogeys over the first nine holes of the day; however, she found her rhythm after the turn and had a phenomenal performance on the back-nine. John tallied four pars, three birdies, and an eagle on the par-5 13th hole, completing the back-nine at four shots below par, bringing her first round score to an even par 72. She concluded the first round tied for sixth overall. 

In the afternoon round, John had a similar performance, posting five pars, three bogeys, and one birdie on the front-nine; but, she once again elevated her play over the final nine holes. John recorded three pars and four birdies on the back-nine, as she shot even par 72 for the second consecutive round. Her 36-hole score of 144 (E) placed her in a tie for first overall with just 18 holes remaining, and she will aim to win her third individual title of the season. 

Gabby Kano also had a stellar day for the Pack, carding a two round score of 146 (+2). Kano is tied for 11th on the individual leaderboard after the first 36 holes of play. Kano opened the day with an impressive first round, as she shot even par across the first set of 18 holes. Kano was incredibly consistent throughout the first round, tallying 14 pars, two birdies, and two bogeys. The sophomore struggled on the front-nine in the afternoon round, posting four pars, four bogeys, and one birdie; but, she had an immaculate performance on the back-nine. Across the final nine holes, Kano tallied eight pars and one birdie, as she posted a second round score of 74 (+2).  

Anna Shultse finished third in the Wolf Pack lineup and tied for 24th overall after the first 36 holes. Shultse commenced the day with a first round score of 76 (+4), before recording a 74 (+2) in the second round. She tallied 10 pars and two birdies throughout the first round, before posting eight pars and four birdies in the second round. 

Freshman Nikki Chindavong completed the day tied for 50th on the leaderboard at +12. Chindavong carded a 77 (+5) in the first round and a 79 (+7) in the second round. 

Raesa Sheikh rounded out the Nevada lineup, finishing the first 36 holes tied for 64th at +18. Sheikh opened the day with a score of 83 (+11) in the first round, before carding a 79 (+7) in the second round.

Individual Participants

Competing as an individual participant, freshman Payton Lovisa had an impressive day for the Pack. Lovisa is tied for 35th at +8 after the first two rounds of competition. She carded a 77 (+5) for the first round and closed out her day with an impressive score of 75 (+3) in the second round. 

Kaitlin Fleiner completed the day in the 61st position on the leaderboard at +15. Fleiner recorded scores of 79 and 80 for the first two rounds. 

Team Leaderboard

1. Sacramento State - 285-294=579 (+3)

2. Cal Poly - 294-287=581 (+5)

3. UC Davis - 291-298=589 (+13)

4. Fresno State - 289-302=591 (+15)

5. Nevada - 297-299=596 (+20)

Nevada Results

T1. Leah John - 72-72=144 (E)

T11. Gabby Kano - 72-74=146 (+2)

T24. Anna Shultse - 76-74=150 (+6)

T35. Payton Lovisa (Ind.) - 77-75=152 (+8)

T50. Nikki Chindavong - 77-79=156 (+12)

61. Kaitlin Fleiner (Ind.) - 79-80=159 (+15)

T64. Raesa Sheikh - 83-79=162 (+18)

Up Next

Nevada will return to the course on Tuesday morning for the third and final round of The Causeway Invitational. 

Live Scoring

Live scoring will once again be available for the third and final round through Golfstat.com.

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