Building her wins a stroke at a time

by Riley Bauling

Daily Lobo

Alexandra Phelps won't hide her contempt for the way she putted at the Albuquerque Women's City Amateur Championship.

"I shot 73," she said. "I was pretty disappointed. My putting has been really killing me the past couple days."

Phelps, a sophomore for the UNM women's golf team, said she had 37 putts in her first round on Tuesday and 36 in her second round Wednesday, which both took place at Santa Ana Golf Course. She shot an even-par 71 on Tuesday and a 2-over-par 73 on Wednesday in the 54-hole event that concludes Thursday at Santa Ana.

Phelps is one back from leaders Maggie Ramirez and Katie Kempter. Kempter fired the low round of the day with a 2-under-par 68.

"Katie was pouring in from all over the place," Phelps said. "She was putting in, chipping in. Everything was going in for her."

Phelps won the city tournament last year, topping January Romero, a senior at Yale.

She said she wanted to take down Ramirez last year, though. Ramirez, a senior at New Mexico State, didn't compete in last year's competition.

Phelps, an Eldorado High School graduate, watched Ramirez, a Valley High School graduate, win state in Phelps' freshman and sophomore years.

"We've competed all the way through high school, and now I've finally caught up with her," Phelps said. "There are a lot of people in this tournament I would like to beat."

If Phelps makes a run on the last day, she said the greens probably won't be in her favor.

"The greens are really slow," she said. "They're a lot different than the college courses I've been playing on, where the greens are really fast. It's hard to get the speed right."

Kempter - who will attend Denver University in the fall - and Ramirez' lead might not be safe for long, especially if Phelps shoots as low as she has before at Santa Ana.

"I've played a lot (at Santa Ana)," Phelps said. "I shot a 68 there last week, and I didn't even play that good. I could shoot a 66 or 67 there if I putt well."

As for the putting woes on Tuesday and Wednesday, Phelps said she's made some changes that should make her time on the greens more like a walk in the park than a marathon.

"It's more mental than anything," she said. "I went and talked with one of my coaches and made some changes. But I thought I was going to putt well today, too."

Phelps said back-to-back titles would boost her confidence individually when she resumes play for UNM next season.

"There are only four of us that are returning (to UNM)," she said. "Usually freshmen, sophomores and juniors assume more underclassmen roles, but now we have to assume more of an upperclassmen role. I'm looking forward to it - no more carrying the med bag."