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Women's Golf, Leander In First Place At Ptarmigan Ram Classic

Sept. 12, 2016

Fort Collins, Colo.-The 2016-17 San Jose State women's golf team started the season with two rounds of under-par golf as the Spartans are in first place at four-under 572, after play Monday at the Ptarmigan Ram Classic at the Ptarmigan Golf Club in Fort Collins, Colo.

On her birthday, Spartan My Leander went out and shot a four-under 68 and two-under 70, and is the leader in the clubhouse by two shots at six-under 138. She made eight birdies, 24 pars and an eagle (her third at SJSU) over the two rounds.

"I went out in a good mood wanting to play solid golf," said Leander. "I hit the ball close to a lot of pins and gave myself opportunities to make birdies. I am really happy with my play today.

"The eagle was very unexpected for me. I had just made a double bogey and was determined to make a birdie on the par-4 #7. I hit a 95-yard shot to an elevated green, and the ball took a bounce and went in the hole. I knew it was a good shot but didn't see it go in."

Teammate Franziska Friedrich is tied for second at four-under 140. She shot a one-under 71 in the first round and followed that up with a three-under 69 in round two. Friedrich also made an eagle as hers came in the first round on the par-5, second hole. She made nine birdies and 19 pars over the two rounds.

"I hit my iron shots really well today which led to a lot of birdie opportunities," said Franziska. "On the eagle, I hit my second shot to within 30 yards of the hole and pitched it in from there."

The three other Spartan players also made key contributions to the team on Monday. Elizabeth Schultz and Abegail Arevalo are tied for 24th at 149. Schultz shot a 76 in the first round, followed by a 73 in round two. Arevalo started the day shooting an even-par 72, followed by a 77. Alexandra Cooper is tied for 38th at 152 after shooting a 79 in round one and a one-over 73 in the second round.

The Spartans are the only team to shoot under par in both rounds with a one-under 287 and a three-under 285. The two-round total of 572 is the third-lowest 36-hole total in school history. The team leads the tournament with 29 birdies and two eagles.

"This team is playing with a confidence right now that they can go out and shoot a good round anytime," said Spartan head coach John Dormann. "This was not an easy day as the course is long and the greens are fast. We played really well today and have to go out tomorrow and make few bogeys to stay where we are."

Final round action begins Tuesday morning with a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. MST/7:30 a.m. PST. The Spartans will begin on holes 1, 2, and 3 with Nevada and Gonzaga. Live scoring is available at https://www.birdiefire.com/tournament/28139/.

Ptarmigan Ram Classic

Ptarmigan Country Club, Fort Collins, Colo.

Par 72, 6,364 yards

Team Standings (after two rounds)

1. San José State287-285-572
2. Nevada291-297-588
3. Gonzaga301-288-589
4. UC Irvine298-292-592
5. Oregon State298-294-592
6. San Francisco302-294-596
7. Indiana296-304-600
7. Northern Colorado303-297-600
9. Portland State306-296-602
10. Wyoming299-304-603
11. Nebraska307-305-612
12. Boise State301-312-613
13. Colorado State313-301-614
14. Long Beach State311-308-619
15. Hawaii308-314-622

Individual Standings

1. My Leander, San José State68-70-138
2. Franziska Friedrich, San José State71-69-140
2. Bianca Pagdanganan, Gonzaga74-66-140

San Jose State Results

1. My Leander68-70-138
2. Franziska Friedrich71-69-140
24. Elizabeth Schultz76-73-149
24. Abegail Arevalo72-77-149
38. Alexandra Cooper79-73-152

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