Red Raiders in Sixth Place After Day One at Jim West Challenge

SAN MARCOS, TX – Texas Tech's women's golf team finished the first day of the Jim West Challenge in sixth place after two rounds at the Kissing Tree Golf Club on Sunday. Junior Lauren Zaretsky led the way for the Red Raiders, delivering a season-best 5-under-par 67 in the opening round and a 2-over-par 74 in the second round to finish 3-under-par (141) for the day. She is currently tied for 12th place among the 68 competitors.

Zaretsky began her impressive first round at hole seven and recorded three birdies on the front nine. She finished strong, adding four birdies and an eagle on the back nine to achieve her lowest round of the season. Her second round proved more challenging, but she still managed to stay under par for the day.

Maja Ambroziak and Kylee Loewe also had strong showings, with Ambroziak tied for 19th place and Loewe tied for 23rd after 36 holes. Ambroziak posted an even-par 72 in the first round and improved with a 1-under 71 in the second, which featured 15 pars and birdies on holes 14 and 15. Loewe shot a 2-under 70 in the opening round, thanks to an eagle and a birdie on the front nine, but settled for a 2-over 74 in the second round after a late birdie helped minimize the damage.

Texas Tech started the day strong, shooting a 4-under-par 284 in the first round to tie for third place. However, a second-round score of 2-over-par 290 caused them to drop to sixth. Heading into the final round, the Red Raiders are one of seven teams under par, with a combined score of 2-under-par 574.

The tournament's final round begins Monday at 8:30 a.m. with a shotgun start.

Jim West Challenge Standings (After Rounds 1-2):

• T-1. Houston: 284-278=562 (-14)
• T-1. TCU: 281-281=562 (-14)
• 3. Oklahoma: 280-285=565 (-11)
• T-4. Ohio State: 284-287=571 (-5)
• T-4. UNLV: 289-282=571 (-5)
• 6. Texas Tech: 284-290=574 (-2)
• 7. Texas State: 286-289=575 (-1)
• 8. New Mexico: 288-292=580 (+4)
• 9. North Texas: 292-291=583 (+7)
• 10. UTSA: 300-297=597 (+21)
• 11. Northern Illinois: 305-307=612 (+36)
• 12. Nebraska: 304-316=620 (+44)

Texas Tech Individual Scores (Rounds 1-2):

• T-12. Lauren Zaretsky: 67-74=141 (-3)
• T-19. Maja Ambroziak: 72-71=143 (-1)
• T-23. Kylee Loewe: 70-74=144 (E)
• T-35. Klara Hurtova: 75-72=147 (+3)
• T-43. Danique Stokmans: 76-73=149 (+5)
• T-53. Claudia Alnajim (individual): 78-76=154 (+10)

The Red Raiders aim to improve their standings in the final round as they compete against a strong field of 12 teams.