BOULDER CITY, Nev.- Idaho women's golf erupted for nine birdies and combined to shoot 2-under on the back nine Friday, to vault into a tie for first place at the end of the first round of the 2018 Big Sky Championships at Boulder Creek Golf Club. The Vandals matched Portland State at 8-over (296) for the day. Junior Michelle Kim played the final six holes at 3-under to finish the first round with a 1-under 71 and sit in third place on the individual leaderboard.

Big Sky Women's Golfer of the Year Sophie Hausmann also birdied three holes on the back nine, but a double bogey on 15 contributed to a 1-over 73. Hausmann is in a tie for sixth after the first day. The Vandal junior has finished in the top two individually at each of her first two conference championships, including winning the 2016 tournament.

Valeria Patino and Laura Gerner each shot 4-over (76) on the first day of competition and the Vandal duo is tied for 14th. Gerner finished her day with eight pars on the back nine, including each of the final six holes, to recover from an up-and-down front nine that included just two pars.

Preseason-favorite Sacramento State is lurking just behind the Vandals and Vikings, carding a 13-over 301 in the first round. The Hornets led the way with a team score of 4-over at the turn, but six double bogeys on the back nine allowed Idaho and Portland State to take control of the round. Last season at the conference tournament, the Vandals rallied from three strokes down after two rounds to tie Sacramento State and force a playoff, where the Hornets eventually prevailed and kept Idaho from repeating as league champions.

The second round is Saturday, with the Vandals set to tee off in the first flight at 7 a.m. PT. Follow the action with live results at GolfStat.com.

Team Results (Through First Round)
T-1.    Idaho                        296 (8-over)
T-1.    Portland State          296 (8-over)
3.       Sacramento State    301 (13-over)
T-4.    Montana                   306 (18-over)
T-4.    Eastern Washington 306 (18-over)
T-4.    Northern Arizona      306 (18-over)
T-7.    Northern Colorado    315 (27-over)
T-7.    Montana State          315 (27-over)
9.       Southern Utah          317 (29-over)
10.     North Dakota            320 (32-over)
11.     Weber State              321 (33-over)
12.     Idaho State               348 (60-over)

Individual Results (Through First Round)
3.          Michelle Kim              71 (1-under)
T-6.       Sophie Hausmann     73 (1-over) 
T-14.     Laura Gerner             76 (4-over)
T-14.     Valeria Patino            76 (4-over)
T-28.     Kendall Gray             79 (7-over)

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