North Carolina State’s Lauren Olivares Leon made college golf history in the opening round of the Cougar Classic, becoming the first woman to shoot 60. The round of 11 under at Yeamans Hall Club included 13 birdies and two bogeys. A total of 17 men have shot 60 in collegiate events.
Golfstat’s live scoring originally had Olivares Leon down for a 59 – a number that no male or female collegiate player has ever shot. There was a scoring error, however, on the seventh hole. Golfstat had Olivares Leon down for a birdie, though she’d made par. The score was noted correctly on her official card.
The Seth Raynor design played to 6,269 yards.
Olivares Leon, a junior from Mexico who is 182nd in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, began the day on the 10th hole with birdie. She birdied the last two holes of the back nine to make the turn in 32, and then shot 28 on the front nine with eight birdies.
She then headed back out for the second round of a 36-hole day.
“She was so calm and simply amazing,” texted head coach Page Marsh, “on fire.”
Five women have recorded rounds of 61 in the history of women’s college golf:
- 61 – Anna Zanusso, Denver University: Second round of the Westbrook Invitational in Peoria, Arizona, on Feb. 23, 2020
- 61 – Julia Johnson, University of Mississippi: Third round of the Battle at the Beach in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico, on Nov. 3, 2019
- 61 – Bianca Pagdanganan, Gonzaga: Second round of the Pizza Hut Thunderbird Invitational in George, Utah, on March 17, 2017
- 61 – Esther Lee, University of Colorado: First round of the Dick McGuire Invitational in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Sept. 12, 2016
- 61 – Mariah Stackhouse, Stanford: Second round of the Peg Barnard Invitational in Stanford, California, on Feb. 17, 2013
