Western Carolina eighth at William & Mary Invitational
WILLIAMSBURG, Va. – Western Carolina seniors Kim Mitchell and Mariah Hopkins both sit inside the individual top 20 after 18 holes, and the Catamounts are eighth overall with two rounds to play in the season-opening William & Mary Invitational at the par-72, 6,000-yard Plantation course at the Kingsmill Resort.
The second round is scheduled for Monday morning with tee times with the tournament to conclude Tuesday.
Mitchell leads the Catamounts with a first-round score of 3-over-par 75 to stand tied with three others for 15th overall, just five strokes off the pace. Her classmate, Hopkins, is a stroke back at 4-over-par 76, in a tie for 19th. Hopkins is tied for the tournament lead with 14 pars among the opening 18 holes.
WCU true freshman Natalia Villavicencio is tied for 24th overall, shooting 5-over-par 77 in her first collegiate round. She carded 12 pars on Sunday, among the tourney leaders. Junior Bethany Galloway (81) is tied for 48th and another freshman, Maddi Caldwell (82), also competing in her first collegiate event, is tied for 54th.
Playing unattached as an individual, WCU junior Ashley Thompson carded an opening-round 83 to sit amidst a tie for 56th overall. The Clyde, N.C., product is tied for fourth in par-3 scoring (2.75, -1).
Three individuals carded scores of 70 on Sunday to stand tied atop the leader board. Tan Cheeranont of High Point, Becknell’s Lindsay Dundovic and Kayla Thompson from UNCW each shot 2-under par to lead the 65-golfer field.
Collectively, UNCW holds a five-stroke advantage over Appalachian State at the conclusion of Sunday’s first round. The Seahawks combined for a team score of 5-over-par 293.
Furman tied for 11th at Powerade Cougar Classic
HANAHAN, S.C. – Junior Taylor Totland (E) is tied for 14th place after shooting an even 72 to lead Furman (+10) Sunday in the opening round of the 2015-16 season at the 13th Annual Powerade Cougar Classic at the par-72, 6,204-yard Yeamans Hall Club.
Totland carded four birdies, including back-to-back birdies on Nos. 17 and 18, to conclude the round at an even par. The Tinton Falls, N.J., native is four strokes back of leaders Taylor Tomlinson (-4) of Florida and Gaby Lopez of Arkansas (-4), who each fired a 68 in Sunday’s opening round.
Arkansas (-6) holds a six-stroke lead over UCF (E) after shooting a 282 in the opening round, while Wake Forest (+1) is in third place at one over. Georgia (+2) and Florida (+2) are tied for fourth, followed by Virginia (+5) in sixth and NC State (+6) and Indiana (+6) in seventh. Michigan (+9) and Clemson (+9) are tied for ninth, while the Paladins (+10) and Auburn (+10) are tied for 11th.
Paladin senior Valentina Romero (+1) also recorded three birdies in Sunday’s opening round, including consecutive birdies on Nos. 17 and 18, and is tied for 24th after carding a 73, while freshman Haylee Harford (4) birdied No. 7 and is tied for 59th after notching a 76 in her first collegiate round.
Sophomores Reona Hirai (+5) and Jacqueline Bendrick (+5) are tied for 70th following Sunday’s opening round after each scored a 77. Hirai birdied No. 3, while Bendrick birdied Nos. 15 and 18 to conclude the round.
Second-round play of the 54-hole tournament begins Monday at 7:45 a.m., and the tournament will conclude Tuesday with a 9 a.m. shotgun start. The Paladins will tee off of No. 1 at 11:40 a.m. on Monday.
UNCG 20th at Powerade Cougar Classic
HANAHAN, S.C. – The UNCG women’s golf team opened the 2015-16 season Sunday with round one of the prestigious Powerade Cougar Classic hosted by the College of Charleston at the Yeamans Hall Club.
Round two will be played Monday morning with the Spartans set for tee times from hole No. 1 from 12:25-1:01 p.m. with live scoring available via www.golfstatresults.com.
The Spartans are in 20th place overall after posting a first-round score of 320.
Junior Kristin Powers and freshman Natalia Asensio led the Spartans in round one, both posting scores of 7-over-par 79. Powers and Asensio are currently tied for 87th overall in the field. Asensio began her collegiate career with three straight pars and a birdie on hole No. 4.
Sophomore transfer Lexi Kershaw had the Spartans’ highlight of the day, notching an eagle-3 on the par-5, 460-yard hole No. 18. Kershaw finished the day with an 8-over-par 80 and sits in a tie for 93rd overall in her first career event as a Spartan.
Senior Jessica Madsen sits in a tie for 101st overall with a 10-over-par 82 in her first round of the year. Junior Emily Kurey rounds out the Spartans’ lineup with an 11-over-par 83 to sit in 103rd place.
Joining the Spartans in the highly competitive field are host College of Charleston, Alabama, Auburn, UCF, Charleston Southern, Clemson, Florida Furman, Georgia, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi State, North Carolina, NC State, Penn State, Virginia, Wake Forest and Wisconsin.