Furman, Srinivasan second at NCAA Tallahassee Regional
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Natalie Srinivasan (-7) fired a 65, tying the best round in school history, to finish the day in second among the individuals and lead seventh-ranked Furman (-8) into the clubhouse in second place Monday following the opening round of the NCAA Tallahassee Regional at the par-72, 6,342-yard Don Veller Seminole Golf Club.
A sophomore from Spartanburg, S.C., Srinivasan played flawless golf on Monday, birdieing three out of four holes from No. 5 through No. 8 to make the turn at 3-under then adding an additional four birdies, including consecutive birdies on No. 17 and No. 18, to tie the previous Furman record and match the Paladins’ best round in the NCAAs, both set by Caroline Peek Blaylock in 1995. She finished the round two strokes back of Washington's Wenyung Keh (-9), who set a course record with an opening-round 63.
Senior Alice Chen (-2) enters Tuesday's second round tied for 10th after scoring a 70 in round one. Chen birdied No. 2 and No. 4 to make the turn at 1-under, then added birdies on No. 14 and No. 17 on the back. Senior Jacqueline Bendrick (-1) is tied for 16th after carding a 71 with four birdies, including back-to-back birdies on No. 14 and No. 15.
Senior Reona Hirai (+2) notched a 74 with three birdies on the back nine to tie for 42nd after one round, and junior Haylee Harford (+3) is tied for 53rd after recording a 75 with three birdies on Monday.
No. 15 Washington (-15) leads the field after establishing a new course record with a 273 in round one. The Paladins enter Tuesday's second round in second place, with second-ranked Alabama (-6) two strokes back in third. There are three teams tied for fourth, including 29th-ranked Clemson (-3), No. 39 Tennessee (-3), and 18th-ranked Wake Forest (-3).
The Paladins, who will tee off of No. 1 at 9:50 a.m. on Tuesday and play in a group with Washington and Alabama, are part of an 18-team regional field is battling for a top-six finish and a berth in the 24-team NCAA Championship, which will be held May 18-23 at Karsten Creek Golf Club in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The Tallahassee Regional field includes six of the top 25 teams in the country, led by second-ranked Alabama, No. 2 Furman, 10th-ranked Arizona, No. 15 Washington, No. 18 Wake Forest and 22nd-ranked Vanderbilt.
Furman, which secured the Southern Conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Regional by capturing its 17th SoCon Championship last month at Moss Creek Country Club on Hilton Head Island, S.C., is making its fourth consecutive and 22nd overall NCAA Regional appearance. The Paladins appeared in 18 straight regionals from 1993, when the regional format began, until 2010. Furman finished second last season at the NCAA Lubbock Regional in Lubbock, Texas, and went on to place 12th at the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Ore.
ETSU’s Loy completes first round at Tallahassee Regional
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – ETSU’s Hee Ying Loy is tied for 61st after Monday’s first round of the NCAA Tallahassee Regional. Loy earned an at-large individual invitation into the field.
The three-time All-Southern Conference honoree fired a 4-over-par 76 on a sunny, 89-degree day on the par-72, 6342-yard Don Veller Seminole Golf Course and Club.
Eighteen teams and six at-large players qualified for the regional tournament. The top six teams and top three individuals not on one of those teams advance to the NCAA Championships, which starts May 18 in Stillwater, Okla.
Valentina Giraldo of Jacksonville State leads the at-large players with a 1-under par 71, one stroke ahead of Claudia De Antonio of LSU. Kaeli Jones of UCF holds the third spot at 75, with Loy and Emma Svensson of Central Arkansas at 76. Fernanda Lira of Central Arkansas is sixth at 77.
Loy fell into the black numbers Monday with a stretch of bogeys on holes 3-5 and had another misstep on the par-3 eighth hole. She got one back with a birdie on the par-5 nine but bogeyed the par-4 12th hole to raise her score to +4. Loy birdied the par-5 15th, bogeyed the par-4 16th, and closed out her round with back-to-back pars.
Loy went into Tallahassee as one of the nation’s top scorers on par-5s, with an average of 4.85. She went under that number on Monday, playing 1-under on the long holes at an average of 4.75. She also finished in the top half of the 96-player field in par-3 scoring (+1/3.25).
Loy is playing in her second straight NCAA tournament as an at-large – the first Buccaneer to accomplish that feat. She’s scheduled to tee off Tuesday’s second round on the 10th hole at 8:50 a.m. EDT.