With yet another strong showing at Mountain West Conference tourney, Coloradan Lauren Lehigh helps New Mexico to team title for 2nd time in 3 years; CSU women match best conference finish since 2001
By Gary Baines – 4/20/23
It’s a good guess that Coloradan Lauren Lehigh often can be found with a smile on her face when she plays the Dinah Shore Tournament Course at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, Calif.
After all, the course has treated her — and her University of New Mexico women’s golf team — very well the three times Lehigh has competed in the Mountain West Conference tournament at the site.
In those three tournaments, the Loveland resident has chalked up three top-11 individual finishes, and the Lobos have recorded two wins and a runner-up team showing.
On Thursday, Lehigh helped New Mexico to a team title — to go with the one the Lobos won in 2021 — as UNM beat San Jose State, the No. 8-ranked team in the nation, according to Golfstat, by five strokes. Colorado State placed third, matching its best showing at the conference meet since 2001.
After placing second individually at the MWC tournament in 2021 (losing in a playoff) and third last year, Lehigh tied for 11th out of of 43 competitors on Thursday. The senior was one of three New Mexico players to place in the top 11, with Napat Lertsadwattana claiming the title at 7-under-par 209.
Lehigh, a two-time Colorado state high school individual champion, posted a bogey-free 69 on Thursday to check in at 215. Lehigh was a quarterfinalist in last summer’s U.S. Women’s Amateur.
The team victory gives New Mexico an automatic berth into the NCAA Regionals, set for May 8-10.
As for CSU, the Rams finished third for the sixth time since they recorded a program-best second-place showing in 2001.
The Rams put three players in the top six individually — Sofia Torres (third, 212), Lacey Uchida (third, 212) and Andrea Bergsdottir (sixth, 213).
For all the scores from the women’s MWC tournament, CLICK HERE.
About the Author: Gary Baines owns and operates ColoradoGolfJournal.com