PALM COAST, FLA. – Playing in cool, blustery conditions on the Conservatory Course at the Hammock Beach Resort, ECU sophomore Dorthea Forbrigd fired the only under-par round of the day to open a one-shot lead after two rounds of the American Athletic Conference Women’s Golf Championship.
 
Groups were playing throughout the day in sustained winds between 15-25 miles per hour on the 6,276-yard, par-72 layout.


 
On the team leaderboard, No. 23 Houston built a four-shot advantage after combining to shoot a 14-over par round, the second-best round of the day. Megan Thothong’s even-par 72 led the Cougars and was the second-best round on the day. The senior has finished sixth and eighth in her last two American Championships.
 
Thothong is one of three Cougars in the top 10 on the individual leaderboard. Teammate Leonie Harm sits three shots back of the lead after a second-round 77 put her 3-over for the championship, while Courtney Tibiletti is tied for 10^th at 5-over par.
 
Houston captured the 2016 American Women’s Golf Championship title and held the overnight lead heading into the final round last year before finishing third.
 
Thothong enters the final round one shot back of Forbrigd, who after playing the first 14 holes at even par, birdied the 15^th and 16^th holes before two more pars gave her the low round of the day. Forbrigd, The American Women’s Golf Player of the Month in September, owns one win on the season.
 
The low-team round of the day belonged to Memphis, which moved from a tie for third at the start of the round into Tuesday’s final pairing after a team round of 13-over par. Sydney Colwill led a balanced effort with a 2-over 74, while senior Emily Goldenstein enters the final round in a tie for fourth, just three shots back of Forbrigd.
 
In all, nine student-athletes enter Tuesday’s last round within four shots of the lead.
 
Led by Kaeli Jones, UCF sits five shots behind Houston and will be looking to close in a similar manner to last season, when the Knights jumped from second to first in the final round. This year, UCF is in third place after a second-round 305. After a 75 in the day’s last pairing, Jones is two shots behind Forbrigd and in third by herself.
 
Forbrigd is joined in the top 10 by her teammate Kathryn Carson. Carson was the leader after the first round before a 79 in round two moved the freshman into a tie for eighth, four shots behind her teammate.
 
For the third straight day, “Havoc in the Heartland” continues as Wichita State and Tulsa will be paired together as they sit in fifth and sixth place, respectively. Both teams are represented in the top 10 on the individual leaderboard – Wichita State’s Taryn Torgerson and Tulsa’s Olivia Jackson are among the quartet tied for fourth along with Houston’s Harm and Memphis’ Goldenstein, while the Golden Hurricane’s Anneke Strobach has overcome an injured ankle to sit in eighth place entering the final round.
 
Rounding out the top 10 is USF’s Natalia Villavicencio, who fired a 76 in the morning wave to enter the clubhouse at 5-over par, putting her into a tie for 10^th with Houston’s Tibiletti.
 
Tulane, Cincinnati, USF and SMU round out the team leaderboard.
 
The final round of the American Women’s Gold Championship will begin at 8:00 a.m. ET on Tuesday. Coverage of the closing holes will be available via the American Digital Network, with coverage on both Facebook and YouTube beginning at 12 p.m. ET. Live scoring will also be available via Golfstat.