Chattanooga 19th at NCAA East Regional
AUBURN, Ala. – The Chattanooga Mocs women’s golf team shot 309 in the first round of the NCAA East Regional on Thursday at Auburn University Club. Chattanooga is in 19th, one shot clear of Penn State, ranked 47th in the country, and three ahead of UCF.
Freshman Emily McLennan paced a balanced UTC effort. McLennan shot 4-over par 76 on the hot, sunny afternoon in south Alabama. She ended up one stroke ahead of sophomore Agathe Sauzon and junior Jordan Britt, who each shot with 77. Freshman Isabella Loza rounded out the counting scores with a 79.
The Mocs are five shots behind FIU in 18th at 304 and eight shy of Kentucky, East Carolina and Texas State all tied for 15th.
Defending national champion Alabama leads after an 11-under 277 effort. The second-ranked Crimson Tide holds a six-stroke leads over the pair of No. 5 Arkansas and No. 20 Tulane, who are tied for second at 283. No. 8 UCLA is in fourth at level-par (288).
There is a trio of golfers leading the tournament at 5-under par. Emma Levy (Arkansas), Erica Popson (Tennessee) and Emma Talley (Alabama) all fired 67 and lead another trio by one. Jackie Chang (North Carolina), Stephanie Meadow (Alabama) and Emily Penttila (Tulane) are tied for fourth at minus-4 (68).
Friday’s second round begins at 8:25 a.m. for the Mocs on the 10th hole. Porsche Campbell leads off followed by Loza (8:36), Britt (8:47), Sauzon (8:58) and McLennan (9:09).
Furman’s Wearn 36th at NCAA West Regional
STANFORD, Calif. – Furman’s Laura Wearn posted a 3-over par 74 to hold a share of 36th place after 18 holes at the NCAA Women’s Golf West Regional on Thursday at the par-71, 6,267-yard Stanford Golf Course.
Playing as an individual in the West Regional field, Wearn opened her round with bogeys on three of her first six holes before notching a birdie at the par-5 No. 7. The senior from Charlotte, N.C., moved to 1-over on the day with a birdie at the par-5 No. 12, but bogeys at 14 and 15 moved her back to 3-over.
Wearn trails tournament leader Annie Park of the University of Southern California by seven strokes after the opening round. Emilie Burger of Georgia is in second place at 3-under with Cassy Isagawa of Oregon holding third place at 2-under.
The top eight teams in the regional’s 24-team field and top two individuals not on a qualifying team at the NCAA West Regional will advance to the NCAA Championships on May 21-24 at the University of Georgia Golf Course in Athens, Ga.
Second-round action is slated to begin on Friday morning with the final round set for Saturday.
UNCG’s Cnops 48th at NCAA Central Regional
NORMAN, Okla. – UNCG sophomore women’s golfer Fanny Cnops posted a 2-over par 74 in round one of the NCAA Central Regional on Thursday afternoon at the 6,298-yard par-72 Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club. Cnops will continue her three-day, 54-hole event Friday afternoon with a 12:45 p.m. (CT) tee time in round two.
Cnops, ranked No. 52 in the nation, sits in a tie for 48th place overall after notching two bogeys on the front nine. She got a stroke back on hole No. 11 with a birdie on the 368-yard, par-4 hole but bogeyed hole No. 14 to finish with a 74.
Emily Collins, the 49th-ranked golfer, holds the individual lead after 18 holes with a 5-under par 67, as she posted five birdies and 14 pars. Unranked Elcin Ulu of Florida is second with a 4-under par 68, while UNCW’s Lori Beth Adams is one of six golfers tied for third with a 3-under par 69.
Ninth-ranked Florida leads the team portion of the competition with a 6-under par 282, leading host and fourth-ranked Oklahoma by one stroke at a 5-under 283. Third-ranked Duke is the third team under par after the first day with a 4-under par 284.
Cnops is one of six individuals in the Central Regional. Twenty-four teams were also selected to play in the Central Region, for a total of 126 golfers. The top eight teams and top two individuals not on those teams from each regional will advance to the finals.
The championships finals will be held May 21-24 at the University of Georgia Golf Course in Athens, Ga., and will be hosted by the University of Georgia.