UH Expands Lead at The American Championships

Monday, April 15

Hammock Beach Resort – Palm Coast, Fla.

All Day

University of Houston

American Athletic Conference Championships

The American Championships Second-Round recap, Maddy Rayner

4/15/2019 4:28:00 PM | Women's Golf

Cougars enter Final Round ahead by 20 strokes, four Cougars among Top-11 leaders

Scoring \| Second-Round Results \| Photos Final-Round Pairings \| Schedule

Team		Rounds				Score
		1	2	3	F
1.	#34 Houston	287	284		571	-5
2.	UCF	294	297		591	+15
3.	ECU	296	299		595	+19
4.	Memphis	304	292		596	+20
5.	USF	295	303		598	+22
t6.	SMU	298	304		602	+26
t6.	Tulane	305	297		602	+26
t6.	Cincinnati	299	303		602	+26
9.	Wichita State	302	303		605	+29
10.	Tulsa	301	307		608	+32

HOUSTON LEADERS
		1	2	3	F
t1.	#10 Leonie Harm	69	72		141	-3
t3.	Maria Jose Martinez	70	72		142	-2
t3.	Maddy Rayner	74	68		142	-2
t8.	Hannah Screen	74	72		146	+2
t24.	Amanda Elich	76	76		152	+6

OVERALL LEADERS
		1	2	3	F
1.	#10 Leonie Harm Houston	69	72		141	-3
t1.	#81 Elizabeth Moon UCF	70	71		141	-3
t3.	Maria Jose Martinez Houston	70	72		142	-2
t3.	Maddy Rayner Houston	74	68		142	-2
5.	Michaela Fletcher Memphis	73	71		144	E

PALM COAST, Fla. – For the second straight day, the University of Houston Women's Golf program posted the low round of the day to expand its lead following the Second Round of the American Athletic Conference Championships on Monday afternoon.

A day after opening the Championships with a score of 1-under 287, the Cougars bettered that by three strokes with a 284 Monday and finished at 571 to stand 20 strokes ahead of UCF.

Houston's 36-hole total of 571 on the 6,246-yard, par-72 Conservatory Course set a program record at the Championships, beating the previous two-round low of 572 during the 2017 Championships.

The 34^th-ranked Cougars overcame a challenging front nine, which saw them fight through 11 bogeys and a double bogey.

Fortunately, the back nine proved to be the opposite for the Cougars. Houston's 5-woman lineup drained 11 birdies with only four bogeys combined and endured only one bogey as a team during the final six holes.

Four Cougars finished the Second Round among the Top-11 leaders with three in the Top-Four. Senior Leonie Harm was tied with UCF's Elizabeth Moon for the individual lead at 3-under 141, while senior Maddy Rayner and freshman Maria Jose Martinez were tied for third at 142. Freshman Hannah Screen was tied for eighth at 146.

ECU (595), Memphis (596), USF (598), SMU (602), Tulane (602), Cincinnati (602), Wichita State (605) and Tulsa (608) completed the field.

While Harm held a share of the individual lead, Rayner posted the team's low score with a career-best 68 Tuesday. The Southlake, Texas, native alternated birdie and par through her first six holes but gave those strokes back with a double bogey on No. 6 and a bogey on No. 7.

Fortunately, those would be the last on Rayner's scorecard. She birdied three of her first four holes to start the back nine, including back-to-back efforts on Nos. 10-11 and added her seventh and final birdie of the day on the 347-yard, par-4 16^th hole to tie with Martinez for third.

Harm overcame a slow start, which saw her battle three bogeys in a 4-hole stretch on Nos. 4-7. The Gerlingen, Germany, began her rally with a birdie on the par-5 ninth hole and added consecutive birdies on the final two holes to return to the top of the individual leaderboard.

Making her American Championships debut this week, Martinez stood at 2-over through 13 holes Tuesday but made birdie on the par-4 14^th hole and added another birdie on the par-3 17^th hole.

After making a pair of birdies, Screen finished at even-par Tuesday, while junior Amanda Elich was tied for 24^th at 152.

LIVE SCORING
Fans can follow live scoring from the American Athletic Conference Championships by clicking here.

PAIRINGS
The Championships continues with the Final Round, beginning at 7 a.m. (CDT) Tuesday. The Cougars will compete in groups with student-athletes from UCF beginning at 8:20 a.m. (CDT) off No. 1.

Elich begins the Championships for Houston at 8:20 a.m. (CDT) Tuesday with Screen (8:28 a.m.), Rayner (8:36 a.m.), Martinez (8:44 a.m.) and Harm (8:52 a.m.) following.

Complete Final-Round pairings can be found by clicking here.

THE AMERICAN CHAMPIONSHIPS HISTORY
This marks the sixth consecutive season in which the Cougars have competed at the American Athletic Conference Championships, each at Hammock Beach Resort.

The Cougars captured the team title in 2018 and 2016 with third-place finishes in 2017 and 2015. In the program's first year of existence, Houston sent three student-athletes as individuals to the 2014 Championships but were not eligible for the team title per NCAA rules.

Harm will be competing in her fourth straight American Championships, while Elich will play in the postseason event for the second straight season. Martinez, Rayner and Screen will make their American Championships debuts in Sunday's First Round.

UP NEXT
Following the American Athletic Conference Championships, the Cougars will learn their NCAA postseason fate. The NCAA Women's Golf Selection Show will air at 4:30 p.m., April 24, on the Golf Channel.

NCAA Regional competition runs May 6-8 and will be held at the following sites across the nation: Saugahatchee Country Club (Opelika, Ala.); Tumble Creek Golf Club (Cle Elum, Wash.); Forest Akers Golf Courses – West (East Lansing, Mich.) and Jimmie Austin Golf Club (Norman, Okla.).

Each Regional will feature 18 teams and six individuals. The low six teams and the low three individuals not on a qualifying team advance to the NCAA Championships at The Blessings Golf Club in Fayetteville, Ark., on May 17-22.

JOIN THE P.A.R. 4 CLUB
Fans are invited to join The P.A.R. 4 Club to support Houston Women's Golf. P.A.R. 4 Club members provide financial support directly to Houston Women's Golf for needs beyond the program's operating budget.

Fans who join the P.A.R. 4 Club can begin receiving benefits for as little as $100 annually.

To join the P.A.R. 4 Club, fans can call 713-743-9417 or email gchadwel@central.uh.edu. For more information about the P.A.R. 4 Club, levels of giving and benefits, fans can click here.

STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarWGolf on Twitter and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at UHCougarWGolf or on the team's Instagram page at UHCougarWGolf.