The par-4 15th and par-3 16th holes played the role of spoiler for No. 11 Sun Devil women's golf on Friday afternoon.
Having started on the par-5 tenth hole, the the team approached the 15th tee box having played just five holes and looking to gain some momentum heading into the middle of their rounds.
The golfers weren't able to. They had a bogey and two double bogeys on the 15th and the three bogeys on the 16th, putting themselves in a +8 hole after just seven holes.
ASU began its slow climb toward the top on the second nine. The round was highlighted by a pair of bogey-free 33's from junior Monica Vaughn and sophomore Sophia Zeeb.
Much of ASU's success was due in large part to the round by freshman Linnea Strom. Strom recorded five birdies to only two bogeys en route to a three-under 69, which put her in a tie for third place after the first day.
With perhaps the best round of the year in women's collegiate golf, UCLA junior Bronte Law shot an ASU Karsten women's record 64, recording nine birdies with just one bogey coming on the par-5 17th hole.
At the end of round one the Lady Devils sat in a tie for second with UNLV at a score of -1, positioned to make a charge on Saturday. They wasted little time and Vaughn and Strom recorded birdies in their opening hole on the second day.
After the first nine holes, four of the five Sun Devils were at even par or better on the afternoon. Vaughn, who had birdies on holes one, five and seven, turned in a front-nine score of 32 and finished the round with a 68.
She and Zeeb are tied for seventh place heading into the final day of the tournament.
Strom built upon her solid first day with a day two score of 71 (-1). She finished the round in fourth place and a score of -4, which is five strokes behind the leader.
The ASU women's head coach Missy Farr-Kaye spoke proudly of her team's renewed sense of confidence after the second round.
"I think that they're starting to believe in themselves a little bit," she said. "We have a ways to go but everyday the goal is to get better."
She was impressed with freshman Madison Kerley's performance on Saturday. After opening with a 79 coming on the heels of five bogeys and a double bogey, Kerley golfed a -1 on the second day that was highlighted by an eagle and a birdie in the final two holes.
Farr-Kaye spoke of the strength and resolve of both Kerley and the team as a whole.
"I preach a lot about being resilient and being tough and mentally strong on the golf course," she said. "We're not done until we're done, until the last putt drops stay in it and we are really starting to get better at that."
With improved scores and improved mind sets Farr-Kaye's Sun Devil squad (-7) is positioned just one back of No. 3 ranked UCLA.
Due to recent weather reports predicting thunder showers mid tomorrow afternoon, the tournament will begin with a shotgun start at precisely 8:00 a.m.
Reach the reporter at Braxton.Fox@asu.edu or follow @braxton_fox_II on Twitter.
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