Furman Fires Season-Best 284 To Grab Second At NCAA East Regional
Baton Rouge, La. ? Kathleen Ekey carded a five-under par 67 to guide Furman to a season-best round of 284 and a share of second place following the first round of the NCAA East Regional Thursday afternoon at the University Club.
Ekey, a sophomore from Wadsworth, Ohio, birdied three of the final six holes to shoot four-under over the final nine holes and move into fourth place after round one. Her first round 67 is just one stroke off of the University Club single round record of 66.
Senior Theresa Paik and sophomore Blair Lamb each posted rounds of one-under 71 while Corrine Carr notched a three-over 75.
UCLA carded a 281 to forge a three-stroke lead over Furman and Wake Forest after the opening round of the 54-hole event. Purdue is four strokes back while Louisville sits five strokes off of the pace. The top eight teams at the East Regional will advance to the NCAA Championships in Daytona Beach, Fla.
Nannette Hill of Wake Forest, Sydnee Michaels of UCLA and Adrienne White of Louisville grabbed the early individual lead at six-under 66.
Second round action is set for Friday with the final 18 holes slated for Saturday. The Lady Paladins will tee off at 8 a.m. on Friday.
T2 Furman 284
4 Kathleen Ekey 67
T17 Blair Lamb 71
T17 Theresa Paik 71
T61 Corrine Carr 75
T104 Ashley Baker 82
Western Carolina Women’s Golf 17th After Opening Round of NCAA East Regional
Baton Rouge, La. ? Western Carolina freshman Desiree Karlsson shot an even-par 72 to lead the Catamounts on Thursday afternoon in the opening round of the 2007 NCAA East Regional at the University Club. Karlsson, who was the 2007 Southern Conference Freshman of the Year, enters the second round among a nine-way tie for 25th. As a team, WCU stands 17th out of 21 squads in the region after shooting 301.
Western’s round of 301 marks its second-best, all-time in a NCAA championship event, one stroke off its all-time low round of 300 carded on the final day of the 2003 East Regional. Karlsson’s even-par 72 was likewise one stroke above the Catamounts’ lowest round as Brandy Andersen shot a one-under 71 in the second round back in ’03.
Sixth-seeded UCLA carded a seven-under 281 as a team to lead the field after 18 of the scheduled 54 holes, with Wake Forest and SoCon tournament runner-up, Furman, tied for second with four-under rounds of 284. Purdue (285) and Louisville (286) rounded out the top five.
Another SoCon-member, the College of Charleston, shot a four-over, 292, to stand in a two-way tie for 12th entering Friday’s second round.
Three individuals shot six-under, 66, on Thursday to stand tied atop the individual leader board after the opening round. Nannett Hill of Wake Forest, Sydnee Michaels of UCLA and Adrienne White of Louisville are each tied entering the second round. Furman’s Kathleen Ekey shot a five-under, 67, over the first 18 holes to stand alone in fourth-place, the highest SoCon individual.
With birdies on the par 4 fourth and the par 3 fifth, Karlsson managed a two-under score through the turn before bogeys on the par four 14th and 18th dropped her to even par. Junior Malin Fryk rallied from a four bogies on a four-over front nine to tally three birdies on the first five holes on the back to move to one-over before bogies on 16 and 18 dropped her to three-over, tied for 59th.
Freshman Elin Mickelsson posted 14 pars and four bogies in her first round to card a 76 to stand tied for 72nd. Senior Bianca Melone posted back-to-back birdies on 17 and 18 to lower her first round score to 78, a score equaled by junior Kandy Carland on Thursday.
Again teamed with Jacksonville State and Jackson State, Western Carolina will open second round play on the back nine at hole 10 with the first golfer, Melone, slated to tee off at 8:50 am with the final Catamount, Karlsson, taking to the course at 9:30 am.
Cougars tied for 12th at NCAA East Regional
BATON ROUGE, La. ? The College of Charleston’s women’s golf team carded 292 to tie for 12th with Florida State in the first round of the NCAA East Regional at the par-72 6,403 yard University Club in Baton Rouge, La.
UCLA shot a 7-under 281 to lead the 20-team field. Wake Forest and Furman are tied for second with a 4-under 284. No. 1 seeded Duke finished the Day 1 with a 3-over 291 for a 10th place tie with Texas A&M.
Individually, the Cougars are paced by Stefi Kirchmayr who carded 72 and is tied for 25th. Megan Miller and Emily Rapp both shot a 1-over 73 and are tied for 34th. Wake Forest’s Nannette Hill and Sydnee Michaels lead the field after shooting a 6-under 66.