Sophomore Amber Chen tied the program record for lowest round as she and the UNLV women’s golf team find themselves on the top-5 leaderboards after Tuesday’s opening rounds at the Wyoming Cowgirl Classic at Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club (Par 72, 6,212 yards).
Rebounding from a first-round 2-over 74, Chen shot a bogey-free 8-under 64 in the second round to match the program lows set by former Rebels Elizabeth Prior at the 2016 Battle at Boulder Creek and McKenzi Hall at the 2023 Dick McGuire Invitational. With the effort, she pulled into fourth in the individual standings at 6-under 138 through 36 holes.
It bested her own previous career-low 6-under 66 which also came this season in Arizona at the Westbrook Invitational.
Giving the Rebels another par-or-better effort on the day’s final 18 holes, junior Zi Yu Foong added an even-par 72. Foong’s and Chen’s scorecards helped lift the Scarlet & Gray (+6) seven spots into fifth in the team standings after tying for the lowest team score in the second round with a 2-under 286.
Following Chen on the leaderboard in the Rebel lineup are freshman Demi Du (+4) in a tie for 36th, Foong (+6) in 52nd, freshman Lana Yamagata (+7) in a tie for 61st and junior Jane Huang (+9) in 73rd. Competing as an individual, freshman Len Yiu (+7) joins Yamagata in a tie for 61st.
Iowa State took the day-one team lead at 13-under. The Cyclones’ Nichakorn Pinprayoon holds the individual lead at 10-under.