HILTON HEAD, S.C. — Led by Shreveport sophomore Meredith Duncan’s 2-under par round of 70, the 13th-ranked Lady Tigers of LSU found itself a top a prestigious leader board after the first round of the Rolex/Golf World/Palmetto Dunes Invitational Friday.
Duncan, who bested her career best at LSU by three strokes, became the 12th different LSU Lady Tiger to post a score of 2-under or better in a collegiate round in the opening 18 holes of this 54-hole event at the Arthur Hills Golf Club at Palmetto Hall.
In getting the lead, LSU posted a round of 290, two-over par. The round score is tied for the second-best in school history and equals the best shot by the Lady Tigers on a par-72 layout for 18 holes.
It also gives her the individual tournament lead going to Saturday’s second round of the 36-hole tournament. Four golfers, Jenna Daniels of Arizona, Tamie Durdin of Pepperdine, Beth Bauer of Duke and Shannon Barr of TCU, posted 1-under par rounds of 71.
The Lady Tigers have a 1-shot advantage over top-ranked Duke (291) and 3-over Arizona at 293. Arizona State at 299 was the only other team in the field of 12 to top 300.
“That was a beautiful round,” said LSU Coach Karen Bahnsen. “The girls really focused on every shot and came through with an outstanding effort. It’s only one day and it’s easy to see how difficult this field is to beat. So we have to just continue what we are doing and hope to keep scoring on Saturday.”
The Lady Tigers counted no score higher than a 2-over par 74. Besides Duncan’s 70, Kenner senior Lisette Lee had another strong round putting up and even par score of 72 with even par 36s on both sides. Lee is tied for sixth after the first day.
Gretna sophomore Lindy Hitdlebaugh (38-36) and South Bend, Ind., junior Katy Wilkinson (38-36) posted rounds of two-over 74 and stand in 12th place.
“To have no round higher than 74 shows what a good round this was,” said Bahnsen. “I’m really proud of the team. It’s a long way from over, but this is a tremendous round to try to build on.”
Golf World/Palmetto Dunes Invitational
At Hilton Head, S.C.
Team Results (Par 288)
1. LSU 290 +2; 2. Duke 291 +3; 3. Arizona 293 +5; 4. Arizona State 299 +11; 5. Southern California 300 +12; 6. Georgia 301 +13; 7. Tulsa, Texas, TCU 304 +16; 10. Stanford 306 +18; 11. Pepperdine 308 +20; 12. Furman 322 +34.
Top 5 Individual Results (Par 72)
1. Meredith Duncan, LSU, 37-33 — 70 -2; 2. Jenna Daniels, Arizona, 39-32 — 71 -1; 2. Tamie Durdin, Pepperdine, 38-33 — 71 -1; 2. Beth Bauer, Duke, 36-35 — 71 -1; 2. Shannon Barr, TCU, 37-34 — 71 -1.
LSU Results
1. Meredith Duncan 37-33 — 70 -2
t6. Lisette Lee 36-36 — 72 E
t12. Lindy Hitdlebaugh 38-36 — 74 +2
t12. Katy Wilkinson 38-36 — 74 +2
t55. Rebecca Barrow 45-39 — 84 +12