University of South Carolina Upstate Athletics
A-Sun Championships
Spartans 8th at A-Sun Championship
4/15/2013 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
Jekyll Island, Ga. – Buoyed by four scores in the 70's the USC Upstate women's golf team opened the 2013 A-Sun Championships in strong fashion, shooting a 311 and stands eighth heading into the second round of play on Tuesday.
The A-Sun Championship is being played on the Pine Lakes Golf Course at the Jekyll Island Golf Resort on the coast of Georgia. Upstate entered the day ranked ninth of the 10 teams in the field and improved its position by one spot after the first round of play. The 311 shot by the Spartans is the best round it has turned in as a team this spring and the lowest since shooting a 309 in the CSU Wendy's Invitational in October.
"We started slowly today and missed some putts with poor speed," said Upstate head coach Todd Lawton. "Overall, our par-5 play kept us from challenging for a really good round. We had too many bogeys and no birdies on the par-5 holes today. However, we had consistent play with four scores in the 70's, but didn't have anyone go low. The golf course is fair and the green complexes are excellent. Overall, I think we recognize the areas we can improve for the next round, and that is good."
ETSU shot a 1-under-par 287 to take the first round lead by six strokes over Jacksonville (293). Mercer (298) and Florida Gulf Coast are tied for third and are followed by Kennesaw State (299), North Florida (300), Stetson (305), Upstate (311), Lipscomb (318) and Northern Kentucky (336) on the leaderboard. The Spartans are just six strokes out of seventh and within 13 of a Top 3 position.
Individually, Taylor Barnes (Spartanburg, S.C.) led the way for Upstate. She shot a 77 with two bogeys on the front nine and three on the back and is tied for 23rd alongside teammate Rachel Reiling (Littleton, Colo.). Reiling posted two birdies on the day to help her shoot 77.
Amanda Hall (Tega Cay, S.C.) is tied for 31st after shooting a 78 with three bogeys each on the front and back nines. Brittany Lowe (Spartanburg, S.C.) was the fourth Spartan to finish in the 70's, turning in a 79 while making one birdie on the day. She is tied for 35th. Malika Allie (Cape Town, South Africa) opened with an 84 on Monday and is tied for 45th.
ETSU's Sian Evans and Jacksonville's Jessica Welch are tied atop the leaderboard after the first round of play. They shot a 5-under 67 and share the lead by four strokes.
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