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Three-day, 54-hole event opens on Monday morning.
Source: NMSU Athletics
By Michael Navarrette
Photo: Courtesy
LAS CRUCES, N.M. – Following nine tournaments during the 2024-25 campaign, the NM State women’s golf team is slated to begin the Conference USA Women’s Golf Championship which will take place in St. Augustine, Fla., at World Golf Village.
The three-day, three-round tournament is scheduled to open at 5:30 a.m. MDT on Monday morning with the first Aggie set to tee off at 6:15 a.m. The Aggies will compete alongside the league’s seven other programs and will look to bring home their first CUSA title after finishing second one year ago. Junior Emma Bunch will also look to defend her individual crown after shooting 7-under last year to earn the top spot on the leaderboard after 54 holes at High Meadow Ranch Golf Club in Magnolia, Texas.
2025 Conference USA Women’s Golf Championship
Dates: Monday, April 14 – Wednesday, April 16 (One round each day)
Location: St. Augustine, Fla.
Course: World Golf Village
Par/Yardage: 72/6,128 yards
AGGIE LINEUP
NM State will be represented by Emma Bunch, Angela Garvin, Camille Pazouki, Kaylee Chen and Alexandria Armendariz while Emma Thompson will serve as an alternate for the week. Of this group, Bunch and Garvin have played in each of the Aggies’ nine events this season.
EMMA BUNCH – 6:51 a.m. MT (Round 1)
Bunch will open the week seeking her second consecutive CUSA individual title after coming in as the low individual in last year’s tournament. Last year, Bunch posted rounds of 68 (-4), 70 (-2) and 71 (-1) on her way to shooting a 209 (-7) for the week to clear Sam Houston’s Jennifer Herbst by one stroke. Bunch will be one of four players in this year’s field who also finished in the top 10 of last year’s tournament. She will be joined by WKU’s Catie Craig (T4), Sam Houston’s Grace Jin (7th) and fellow Aggie Kaylee Chen (10th).
Bunch will play her opening round alongside FIU’s Hoi Ki Lau and Jax State’s Rebekka Stutley.
This season, Bunch has continued a stellar Aggie career and now ranks first all-time in wins in program history following a first-place finish at the Spring Break Shootout last month. Thus far, Bunch has played 24 rounds in tournament play and enters the week with an average score of 71.8 on the year. She has totaled six top-10 placements and seven top-15 finishes in just eight tournaments this year.
Thus far, she has recorded six rounds in the 60s, including recording a season-low 66 in the final round of the Spring Break Shootout to secure the seventh individual title of her collegiate career. In the first event of this year, she earned the win at the Golfweek Fall Challenge where she shot 7-under to open the year on a high note.
Following the Aggies’ final event of the year, Bunch spent a week in Georgia where she competed in the renowned Augusta National Women’s Amateur where she finished tied for 11th to pace all first-time competitors in a field of the world’s best amateur golfers.
ANGELA GARVIN – 6:42 a.m. MT (Round 1)
Garvin will be the second to last Aggie off the tee in the Sunshine State as she plays alongside FIU’s Karissa Kilby and Jax State’s Sandra Menes. Last season at the CUSA Championships, Garvin placed in a tie for 29th, shooting a 54-hole score of 233 (+17).
This year, Garvin has been a staple in the Aggie lineup and has played in all 24 tournament rounds for the Crimson and White. Entering the week she is posting an average score of 76.9. Garvin’s season was highlighted by a T6 finish at the Riverbend Intercollegiate in Sugar Land, Texas, at Riverbend Country Club where she paced all Aggies. This result in Texas came following an opening round 68 to mark her fourth round in the 60s with the Aggies and first of the season. The top-10 finish was also her best finish since October 2023 when she finished tied for third at the Golf Iconic Classic.
CAMILLE PAZOUKI – 6:33 a.m. MT (Round 1)
Pazouki will be playing in her eighth tournament of the season and is coming off one of her best performances of her collegiate career when she finished as the low Aggie at the PING/ASU Invitational after shooting the best 54-hole score as an Aggie (222, +6) to place in a tie for 38th. This season, she is maintaining an average of 77.1 strokes per 18 holes.
Pazouki also produced a solid finish at the Spring Break Shootout in Dade City, Fla., where she placed in a tie for 27th to mark her highest placement of the season. For Pazouki, this will be the first time she competes in a conference championship. She will play her first 18 holes of the week alongside FIU’s Amandine Seguin and Jax State’s Lara El chaib.
KAYLEE CHEN – 6:24 a.m. MT (Round 1)
Chen makes her way to Florida and appears in the Aggie lineup for the eighth time this season and will compete in a tournament for the Aggies for the 23rd time in her career. This will be the third conference championship for the veteran and has placed inside the top 20 in each of previous two appearances.
Last season, Chen finished 10th at the CUSA Championships and will be one of four players in this year’s field who also finished in the top 10 of last year’s tournament. She will be joined by teammate Emma Bunch (1st), WKU’s Catie Craig (T4) and Sam Houston’s Grace Jin (7th). As a freshman, Chen finished tied for 17th at the WAC Championships.
This year, Chen holds a scoring average of 78.0 across 21 rounds of competitive action. Her best finish of the season came in Dade City, Fla., where she finished tied for 27th to help the Aggies place third as a team.
Chen will begin the CUSA Championships alongside FIU’s Salysa Mason and Jax State’s Rachel Camp.
ALEXANDRIA ARMENDARIZ – 6:15 a.m. MT (Round 1)
Armendariz will be the first Aggie off the tee in Monday’s round and will play her first round with FIU’s Catalina Harvey and Jax State’s Paula Perez Cubinas. This year, Armendariz has played 15 rounds for the Aggies, including appearing in the lineup in four tournaments. She will enter the week with a 77.9 scoring average.
As a sophomore, Armendariz’s best finish of the season came in Sugar Land, Texas, where she place tied for 39th to help the Aggies produce a third-place finish as a team. The Las Cruces native is also coming off her lowest 54-hole score of the season when she shot a 225 (+9) at the PING/ASU Invitational where she competed as an individual for the Aggies.
EMMA THOMPSON – Alternate
As a true freshman, Thompson will serve as the Aggies’ alternate in St. Augustine this week. Thompson made her collegiate debut in February when she competed as an individual at the Bruin-Wave Invitational in Santa Clarita, Calif., and placed in a tie for 64th by way of shooting a 247 (+31). Thompson also participated in the NB3 Match Play event at Twin Warriors Golf Course in Santa Ana Pueblo, N.M., where NM State competed alongside Texas, Stanford and New Mexico.
THE FIELD
NM State will compete for a conference title alongside eight teams as fellow CUSA programs FIU, Western Kentucky, Kennesaw State, UTEP, Middle Tennessee, Jax State and Sam Houston will also make the trip to St. Augustine.
SCOREBOARD RANKINGS OF THE FIELD
#129 NM State
#62 Western Kentucky
#95 Middle Tennessee
#101 Sam Houston
#127 FIU
#132 Jax State
#151 UTEP
#164 Kennesaw State
FOLLOW ALONG
Live scoring of this week’s tournament will be provided by SCOREBOARD Powered by Clippd and can be found at this link. Additionally, Wednesday’s final round will also air live on ESPN+ beginning at 5:30 a.m. MT.
For complete coverage of NM State Women’s Golf, follow us on Twitter (@NMStateWGolf), Instagram (@NMStateWGolf) and Facebook (NM State Women’s Golf). You can also follow along with Aggie Women’s Golf via NMStateSports.com.
