KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii – The No. 14 UCLA women’s golf team is in a tie for the lead with No. 5 Stanford and No. 15 Arizona State going into the final round of the Nanea Invitational. Three Bruins, Jen Lee, Kacey Ly, and Michelle Xing, placed top-10 on the individual leaderboard through the opening two rounds on Monday, October 26.

It was announced Monday morning that the 54-hole event would take place spanning two days, from Monday to Tuesday, rather than the originally scheduled three-day event due to forecasted inclement weather at Nanea Golf Club on Wednesday. The field played 36 holes on Monday, with rounds beginning at 10:30 AM PT and 2:30 PM PT.

The Bruins (-21, 286-277) recorded the fourth-best team score in the field in their morning round, and a field-best 15-under-par round in the afternoon. UCLA was led in the morning by Xing, who started on the par-4 ninth hole, playing the most difficult by half a stroke to par of any other on the course.

Xing (-6, 69-71) shot a steady, 2-over 38 on the back nine to open her round. On the par-5 fourth hole, playing as her fourteenth, Xing made the first eagle of her collegiate career, joining Ly as the only Bruins to have recorded eagles this season. Xing then finished her final four holes with four consecutive birdies, going 6-under in her final five to finish the opening round 4-under.

Lee (-7, 70-69) was the other Bruin to finish below par in the morning, firing a round of 3-under, 70. Lee only had one blemish on her scorecard in the opening round, a bogey on the par-4 twelfth, and had four birdies in her final eight holes, after starting the round on the eighth hole, to finish round one at 3-under, 70.

After shooting even-par 73 in the morning, Ly (-6, 73-67) recorded seven birdies to finish the afternoon 6-under, the second-best afternoon round of any player in the field. Ly’s afternoon round of 67 marks her third sub-70 round in her last four. After 36, Ly sits in a tie for sixth on the individual leaderboard.

Lee added on six birdies of her own in the afternoon, whose round of 4-under, 69 placed her in a tie for third place with World No. 1 Amateur Women’s Golfer Farah O’Keefe of Texas. Xing recorded three birdies and a bogey in her afternoon round to place herself tied with Ly in sixth place on the individual leaderboard.

Junior Angela Liu (-2, 74-70) carded two counting rounds for UCLA on Monday as well. Liu recorded six birdies in the afternoon to record a round of 3-under, 70, and is in a tie for 19th on the individual leaderboard.

After three Bruins recorded at least six birdies in their second round, UCLA is three shots clear of No. 11 Texas (-17, 279-288) and even with the Cardinal and Sun Devils for the lead.

The Bruins will return to action tomorrow morning for the final round of their fall season at the third round of the Nanea Invitational. Tee times will be a shotgun start, to begin at 10:30 AM PT.

Individual Leaderboard
T-3. Lee (-7, 70-69)
T-6. Ly (-6, 73-67)
T-6. Xing (-6, 69-71)
T-19. Liu (-2, 74-70)
T-49. Yoo (+9, 78-77)