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Mary Lou Baker Open: Ashley Lam makes five birdies in a row
Westminster University’s Ashley Lam produced a scorecard unlike anything else in Utah Golf Association competition this year. Or maybe ever.
In the opening round of the Mary Lou Baker Open, Lam made five straight birdies on the back nine of TalonsCove Golf Club, Nos. 12-16. The other 13 holes? All pars.
Ashley Lam is tied with the lead after the opening round of the Mary Lou Baker Open.
It added up to a 67 that gave the Skyline High School graduate a share of Monday’s lead with two out-of-state college golfers. The 54-hole tournament continues Tuesday and Wednesday in Saratoga Springs.
Ariya Soldwisch of Cal State Northridge and Jiayi Wang of Northwestern arrived at their 67s from different directions. Soldwisch, a former high school teammate of Ali Mulhall in Henderson, Nevada, eagled the par-5 No. 13 and played the last seven holes in 5 under par. Wang birdied Nos. 16 and 17 to earn a tie for the lead after playing the front nine in 4 under.
Part of the attraction for Soldwisch and Wang to visit Utah is the opportunity to earn World Amateur Golf Ranking points this week. Wang, from China, plays for Northwestern’s NCAA championship team, although she was not in the 2025 postseason lineup for the Wildcats.
The other names on the leaderboard are more familiar to Utahns.
Lam was a semifinalist in the Women’s State Amateur in July. Faith Viu (68) of Samoa has played regularly in UGA tournaments the past three summers, including a runner-up finish in the 2024 Mary Lou Baker Open. Utah Tech University golfer Samantha Phelan (69) placed second in the UGA Winterchamps event in March.
First year professional, Ali Mulhall.
Mulhall, the only pro in the field, is among three players at 72.
Four-time champion Kelsey Chugg was a late withdrawal. due to work responsibilities. Her absence means there’s no former winner in this tournament, which was combined with the UGA Women’s Stroke Play event and expanded to 54 holes in 2025.
Click here for the Mary Lou Baker opening round leaderboard.
Day 1 Mary Lou Baker recap written by Fairways Media senior writer Kurt Kragthorpe. Photography Fairways Media file photos.