Women’s Golf Surges into Third at Schooner Fall Classic

NORMAN, Okla. – For the second straight day, University of Houston freshman Alexa Saldana posted a 1-under 69 to lead the Cougars and tie for 12^th following the Second Round of the Schooner Fall Classic at Belmar Golf Club on Sunday afternoon.

As a team, the Cougars finished with a Sunday score of 282 and stood third on the 6,112-yard, par 70 course. Houston posted the low round of the day by any team and moved up four places on the leaderboard.

Alexa Saldana, Schooner Fall Classic, Second-Round recap

Alexa Saldana, Schooner Fall Classic, Second-Round recap

Florida State held the Second-Round lead at 552, while host Oklahoma was in second at 558. Oklahoma State (560), Baylor (561), North Texas (562), TCU (563), Virginia Tech (565), Clemson (565) and Tulsa (566) rounded out the Top 10.

Starting off No. 1, Saldana overcame a challenging start that saw her endure three bogeys in a four-hole stretch at Nos. 4-7. However, she capped her front nine with a birdie on the par-5 ninth hole and drained birdies on two of her first three holes to start her back nine.

The Mexico City native added her final birdie of the day on the par-four 15^th hole and joined Chloe Holder (Clemson), Thitaporn Saithip (Oklahoma State) and Oklahoma teammates Savannah Barber and Mikhaela Fortuna in the tie for 12^th.

Junior Nicole Abelar and freshman Moa Svedenskiold also shot par or better Sunday and were tied for 17^th at 1-under 139.

Like Saldana, Svedenskiold struggled early with four birdies and only a pair of birdies in her first nine holes. But also like her freshman counterpart, the Halmstad, Sweden, native rallied quickly with three birdies in the first four holes of her back nine.

She added her final birdie on the par-4 16^th hole.

Abelar stood at 2-over through her first eight holes but enjoyed birdies on No. 9, No. 12 and No. 17 to join Svedenskiold and Baylor's Rosie Belsham and Oklahoma State's Thitaporn Saithip at 139.
Freshman Natalie Saint Germain was tied for 42^nd at 147, while super senior Annie Kim was tied for 58^th at 150.

Louisville's Carmen Griffiths shot a 65 Sunday and held the Second-Round lead at 133 to finish one stroke ahead of Illinois's Isabel Sy. Oklahoma State's Clemence Martin and Illinois' Crystal Wang were tied for third at 135.

LIVE SCORING
Fans can follow live scoring at the Schooner Fall Classic by clicking here.

PAIRINGS
For Monday's Final Round, the Cougars will compete in groups with student-athletes from Florida State and Oklahoma, beginning of No. 1.

Kim starts the day for Houston at 10:10 a.m., with Saint Germain (10:20 a.m.), Abelar (10:30 a.m.), Svedenskiold (10:40 a.m.) and Saldana (10:50 a.m.) following.

Fans can find complete pairings by clicking here.

UP NEXT
Following the Schooner Fall Classic, the Cougars will take a break before returning to action at the Jim West Challenge, set for Oct. 23-24 at Kissing Tree Golf Club in San Marcos, Texas, and hosted by Texas State.

Houston then closes out its fall schedule when it tees off at the Battle at the Beach, hosted by TCU at Club Campestre San Jose in San Jose del Cabo, B.C.S., Mexico on Oct. 28-30.

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. 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.

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