GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The LSU women’s golf team will have a new experience when the second round of the Southeastern Conference Women’s Golf Championship resumes here Saturday morning at the University of Florida Golf Course.
In recent years, LSU has started slowly and had to battle back from high opening scores to finish second four times in the last six years, including last year. This year, the 12th-ranked Tigers are in first place with the only sub-par team round in the field as they look for their first SEC Women’s Championship since 1992.
Under near perfect conditions, the Tigers posted a one-under par team score of 287, tying for the second lowest 18-hole team score in league championship history. LSU is two shots ahead of Georgia, expected to be a contender, and Florida, trying to get the conference win on its home course to advance to the NCAA Regional competition. Both teams are at 2-over, 290 and LSU, Georgia and Florida will play in the final grouping in Saturday’s second round.
Auburn, the highest ranked SEC team in the national poll at No. 4, is fourth at 6-over 294, with South Carolina next at 295. Vanderbilt is sixth at 301 with Alabama and top-10 ranked Tennessee at 302 among the contenders. Ole Miss, Arkansas, Mississippi State and Kentucky are the bottom four, apparently shooting themselves out of contention in the first round.
For the Tigers it marks the third consecutive under par round for LSU, dating back to the second and third round of the LSU/Cleveland Golf Classic earlier this year. LSU’s best previous round in an SEC Championship had been a 6-over 294 in the first round of the 1988 championships in Gulf Breeze, Fla.
“It is so nice to finally get off to a good start in this tournament,” said LSU Coach Karen Bahnsen. “It just seems like we were swimming upstream year-after year-after year. Now we’ll have to see how we react to playing with the lead on Saturday. But that’s where the last tournament helps us because we are now use to being in that position.”
Senior Lesley McClurg fired her second three-under 69 on this golf course, having shot it in the second round of the Lady Gator in February. Junior Meredith Duncan nailed an approach shot to a few feet and made the put to finish at 1-under 71. McClurg and Duncan had two of the seven sub-par rounds on the day over the par 72, 5,840-yard layout which features six par threes and six par fives.
Kristy McPherson of South Carolina posted a 4-under 32 on the back nine to get it home at 5-under 67 for the individual lead, two shots ahead of McClurg and Laura Henderson of Georgia, who are tied for second. Duncan is tied for seventh place.
Isabel Dornellas, the LSU freshman who continues to have strong performances for the Tigers, had a 1-over 73 despite double-bogeying 18 to stand in ninth place, while Katy Harris posted a 2-over 74, good enough for a tie for 14th.
“Concentration from shot to shot is the key,” said Bahnsen. “If you just stay focus and take it from one shot to the next shot and adapt to the situation, it can happen. The girls are really confident and aren’t letting a bogey or worse on one hole, ruin their whole round.”
The tournament runs through Sunday.
| Team | Score | Par |
| 1. LSU | 287 | -1 |
| 2. Georgia | 290 | +2 |
| 2. Florida | 290 | +2 |
| 4. Auburn | 294 | +6 |
| 5. South Carolain | 295 | +7 |
| 6. Vanderbilt | 301 | +13 |
| 7. Alabama | 302 | +14 |
| 7. Tennessee | 302 | +14 |
| 9. Ole Miss | 314 | +26 |
| 10. Arkansas | 315 | +27 |
| 11. Mississippi State | 317 | +29 |
| 12. Kentucky | 323 | +35 |
| Individual | School | Score | Par |
| 1. Kristy McPherson | South Carolina | 67 | -5 |
| 2. Leslie McClurg | LSU | 69 | -3 |
| 2. Laura Henderson | Georgia | 69 | -3 |
| 4. Brittany Straza | Florida | 70 | -2 |
| 4. Reilley Rankin | Georgia | 70 | -2 |
| 4. Celeste Troche | Auburn | 70 | -2 |
| 7. Meredith Duncan | LSU | 71 | -1 |
| 8. Amanda Dick | Florida | 72 | E |
| 9. Isabell Dornallas | LSU | 73 | +1 |
| 9. Young-A Yang | Tennessee | 73 | +1 |
| 9. Summer Sirmons | Georgia | 73 | +1 |
| 9. Anna Hutto | Auburn | 73 | +1 |
| 9. Samantha Z.-White | Florida | 73 | +1 |
| 14. Katy Harris | LSU | 74 | +2 |
| 14. Sarah Johnson | Alabama | 74 | +2 |
| 14. Paula Carter | Alabama | 74 | +2 |
| 14. Meredith Ward | Vanderbilt | 74 | +2 |
| T36. Lindy Hitdlebaugh | LSU | 78 | +6 |