Lobo golfer, fresh from vacation, leads NM-WT women's amateur tourney

Jul. 9—SANTA ANA PUEBLO — Maybe a three-week vacation in France and Spain was just what Sophia Zamarripa needed.

Zamarripa, a former Sandia High standout and a sophomore on the University of New Mexico women's golf team, entered the New Mexico-West Texas Women's Amateur Championship on Friday with an easygoing attitude.

The result was a 1-over-par 73 opening round with six birdies at Twin Warriors Golf Course to share the lead with KayLinda Crawford, the 2021 Sun Country Amateur Golf Association Women's Player of the Year and the 2020 NM-WT Amateur champion.

"I kind of came here wanting to play and hang out," said Zamarripa, who returned to Albuquerque on Monday.

"I was excited to just perform. ... I felt really good today. I was really happy. It showed and I played a good round."

Annie Saecheung, a UNM sophomore and Zamarripa's roommate, also went on the vacation abroad and played well on Friday. She is two strokes behind the leaders and will play in the same group with her roommate, Crawford and Rylee Salome, who shot 4-over, on Saturday at Santa Ana Golf Club.

They will tee off on No. 1 at 9:30 a.m. Sunday's final round is also at Santa Ana.

Zamarripa and Saecheung visited their teammates from France, Lisa-Marie Pagliano and Chloé Lauer, and they all took in the tourist sites in Paris and relaxed on the beach in Spain.

"We went to France for two weeks and spent our last week in Spain," Saecheung said. "It was really nice."

Crawford, a Los Alamos resident, said both Twin Warriors and Santa Ana are challenging courses that deserve a lot of respect. She'll be trying to overcome the difficulties.

"I don't really get too caught up with the leaderboard," she said. "There's 36 holes of golf left to go. All these players are great golfers."

Jenny Lertsadwattana, a UNM senior and the NM-WT Amateur defending champion who shot 16-under 200 last year, is not in this year's event.

She is with her family in Bangkok, Thailand, where they are from.

Zamarripa finished her round strong after a bogey save on No. 16 that gave her confidence to close out with two birdies.

Her second shot on No. 16 pulled left and into a bush.

"I had to take an unplayable and I hit such a good out from that unplayable," she said. "I ended up chipping onto the green and I one-putted to save my bogey. I was really happy with it."

Zamarripa said she also enjoyed her playing group, which included Salome, the Class 4A state girls champion for Belen High School and the Journal's Athlete of the Year for girls golf, as well as Nina Bunkers, the assistant principal at Carroll Elementary School in Bernalillo.

Salome is looking forward to the final two rounds at Santa Ana, where she won her state title on May 10 and the SCAGA Four-Ball Championship with Kristen Griego, a former New Mexico State golfer, on May 15.

"I really like Santa Ana," Salome said. "I play well there so I'll just play my game."

Friday was a family affair for Salome, as it is for most events near Albuquerque. Her father, Pat, caddied, while her mother, Melissa, and grandfather, Pete Sisneros, walked the course. That was no small feat for Sisneros, who is 92 years old and usually walks the course to follow his granddaughter.

"It's really special to have him out there," said Salome, who sometimes practices with her grandpa. "I really enjoy having him out there."

Salome is set to play in the U.S. Girls Junior Amateur Championship July 18-23 at The Club at Olde Stone in Bowling Green, Kentucky. From there, the Salomes will travel to Helena, Montana, where Rylee will play in the Girls Junior America's Cup team event July 24-28 at Green Meadow Country Club.

It's a travel schedule similar to last year, when Salome played in the America's Cup in Boise, Idaho, and then went to Valhalla in Louisville, Kentucky, for the PGA Girls Junior Championship.

Salome's mother said they make a family vacation out of it and fit in outings aside from all the golf.

Saturday

NM-WT Women's Amateur Championship, Santa Ana Golf Club, first tee times at 7:30 a.m.

(Click here for first-round results.)