Samford in first at Low Country Intercollegiate
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – The Samford University women’s golf team carded a first-round score of 313 on Sunday to take first place at the 2014 Low Country Intercollegiate being hosted by Wofford College this week at the South Course of the Moss Creek Golf Club.
The 10-team, two-day competition will consist of 36 holes and will be completed with the final 18 holes Monday.
The field for this week’s Low Country Intercollegiate consists of the following 10 teams: Samford, Wofford, Appalachian State, Bethune-Cookman, The Citadel, Gardner Webb, Presbyterian, Radford, USC Upstate and Western Carolina.
The Bulldogs, boasting an opening-round score of 313, head into Monday’s final round of play with a one-stroke advantage over Southern Conference rival and defending champion Western Carolina. The Catamounts posted an 18-hole team mark of 314 on Sunday.
Samford did not compete in last season’s edition of the Low Country Intercollegiate as Western Carolina posted a weather-shortened victory in the one-day event with a score of 40-over-par 328.
On Sunday, the Bulldogs’ Bailey Gray posted a solid 4-over-par 76 and currently sits in second place in the tournament’s individual standings. Gray, Samford’s SoCon leader in stroke average, trails the Catamounts’ Kristin Swindell (38-37=75) by only one stroke heading into Monday’s final round of action.
Gray paced the Bulldogs with an 18-hole score of 76, while Natalie Mitchell and Sydney Needham followed with marks of 78 and 79, respectively.
Samford’s Mitchell is tied for fifth place in the tournament standings and is just four strokes out of the lead. Needham currently sits tied for 12th place. Senior Alex Jasper is also ranked among the top 15 players in the 2014 Low Country Intercollegiate with a first-round tally of 80.
Rounding out Samford’s scoring Sunday was true freshman Arin Eddy with an 18-hole mark of 89.
The Samford University women’s golf team will look to claim its second tournament championship of the 2013-14 campaign Monday.
Swindell leads, Western Carolina second at Low Country Intercollegiate
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – Paced by individual tournament leader Kristin Swindell, the Western Carolina women's golf team has two golfers inside the top three to sit in second place overall, just one stroke off the lead at the Low Country Intercollegiate at the par-72, 5,815-yard South Course at the Moss Creek Golf Club.
Swindell, a redshirt sophomore from Bradenton, Fla., paced the 55-golfer field on Sunday with an opening-round 3-over-par 75 to hold a one-stroke edge over Samford's Bailey Gray (76). Catamount sophomore Kim Mitchell is second WCU golfer inside the top five, locked in a two-way tie for third at 5-over-par 77 after the opening round.
Behind Swindell and Mitchell, freshman Ashley Thompson – playing in her first event as a part of the scoring roster – shot an opening-round 80 to sit tied for 15th overall. Classmates Taylor Allison and Mariah Hopkins stand tied for 25th overall with matching scores of 82.
Playing unattached as individuals, freshman Bethan Galloway is tied for 15th overall after an 8-over-par 80, with classmate Olivia Landino in 46th overall after shooting 87.
Players were greeted with mostly sunny skies and temperatures in the mid- to upper 70s on Sunday with a steady breeze. The course played very tough for much of the field in the first round. Sunday's individual stroke average was 84.19, or about 12-over-par.
Samford carded an opening-round 313 on Sunday to sit one stroke ahead of the defending event champion, Western Carolina, at 314 in the 10-team field. Gardner-Webb is five strokes off the lead in third place at 318, followed by Bethune-Cookman at 324 and Presbyterian in fifth at 326.
Paired with golfers from Samford and Gardner-Webb, WCU's scoring five is scheduled to tee off between the first and fourth holes with the shotgun start at 9:30 am. The two Catamount individuals tee off on the back nine on No. 15 and 16.
Wofford tied for sixth at Low Country Intercollegiate
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – The Wofford College women's golf team opened the sixth annual Low Country Intercollegiate on Sunday at the Moss Creek Golf Club. The tournament is hosted by the Terriers and played at the par-72, 5,815-yard South Course at Moss Creek.
Wofford began the tournament carding a first-round 39-over-par 327 and is tied for sixth place with USC Upstate. Samford holds the lead after posting a 25-over 313. The Bulldogs are a stroke in front of Western Carolina (+26) and five ahead of third-place Bethune-Cookman (+30). In all, 10 teams and 55 individuals are competing in the two-day, 36-hole tournament.
The course played very tough for the entire field in the first round. Sunday's individual stroke average was 84.19, or about 12-over-par.
Junior Lauren Dunbar headed Wofford's Sunday showing. Dunbar – the team leader in stroke average on the 2013-14 campaign (75.71) – shot a 6-over 78. She recovered nicely after beginning her round 4-over through four holes, shooting just 2-over the rest of the way.
Three shots in front of Dunbar is tournament leader Kristin Swindell of Western Carolina. Swindell carded a 2-over 38 on the front, followed by a 1-over 37 on the back, and is a shot in front of Samford's Bailey Gray. Presbyterian's Abby Driscoll and WCU's Kim Mitchell are tied for third place at 5-over-par.
Terrier senior Anne Marie Covar is tied for 25th with a 10-over 82. Sophomore Maegan Higgins is tied for 29th (+11), classmate Emiley Pagrabs is tied for 32nd (+12) and freshman Katy Funk is in 38th (+13). Senior Alex Hendricks is competing as an individual and shot a 17-over 89 to sit in a tie for 48th.
The final round of the Low Country Intercollegiate tees off in a shotgun format on Monday at 9:30 a.m.
Appalachian State ninth at Low Country Intercollegiate
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – The Appalachian State University women’s golf team is in ninth place after 18 holes on Sunday in the Low Country Intercollegiate at the par-72, 5,815-yard Moses Creek Golf Club.
Appalachian did not get a total team effort in the first round, carding a team score of 336 (+48).
Junior Haley Zagoria and freshman Emily Stinson are both tied for 22nd place overall but both are 9-over-par.
Freshman Hannah Craver is four strokes behind Zagoria and Stinson, carding an 85 (+13).
Rounding out the counting scores is sophomore Madalyn Davis, who carded a first round of 89 (+17).
Sophomore Lily Yatawara rounded out the Appalachian starting five and carded a 95 (+23).
With one round left to play, Appalachian will be looking to improve on its positioning. Members of the Mountaineer squad will tee off at 9:30 a.m. on Monday for the final round of competition.