Emily Gilbreth of Denver, winner of the CWGA Match Play Championship this summer, shot an even-par 72 on Thursday and finds herself in 79th place out of 361 golfers following the first round of stage I of LPGA Tour Qualifying in Rancho Mirage, Calif.
The amateur (pictured) made two birdies and two bogeys in round 1.
The top 90 finishers and ties after four rounds will advance to stage II of the three-stage qualifying process. At stage III, the top 20 performers will earn full status on the 2018 LPGA Tour.
Also on Thursday, Natalie Vivaldi, who started her college career at the University of Colorado, fired a 1-under-par 71, carding five birdies, two bogeys and a double bogey. She shares 43rd place.
Former University of Denver golfer Mariell Bruun opened with a 73, good for 113th place.
Regina Plasencia started with a 7-under-par 65 to grab the round-1 lead.
The field will be cut to the top 125 players and ties after 54 holes.
Here are the scores of the players with strong Colorado connections:
43. Former CU golfer Natalie Vivaldi 71
79. Emily Gilbreth of Denver 72
113. Former DU golfer Mariell Bruun 73
148. Former CU golfer Jamie Oleksiew 74
181. Former CU golfer Esther Lee 75
220. Samantha Stancato of Colorado Springs 76
313. CU golfer Brittany Fan 80
346. Paige Crawford of Colorado Springs 83
For all the scores, CLICK HERE.
