BATON ROUGE — Despite teeing off with temperatures dipping into the 40s, it took no time for the 13th-ranked LSU women’s golf team to heat up and take the lead after the first round of the 24th-annual LSU/Cleveland Golf Classic at the University Club.
The Lady Tigers lead the 12th-ranked Tulane Green Wave by six strokes after firing an 8-over par 296 in the first round. Head coach Karen Bahnsen said that ideal weather conditions and her team’s familiarity with the course allowed them to play well as the round progressed.
“The golf course is in great condition,” Bahnsen said. “The greens are at a really good speed. They’re a little fast, but we like them like that. There was a little bit of a breeze out there, which was a factor later in the round. I knew my team would get their feet under them and they settled in and started playing pretty steady.”
Freshman Rebecca Kuhn paced the Lady Tigers by tying for third place with an even-par 72. Senior Brooke Shelton and freshman Kimberly Meck are currently in a tie for seventh place after posting a 1-over 73.
Bahnsen said that she was proud of her team for overcoming a shaky front nine to finish the round strong.
“The girls may have started off a little sluggish on the front side, but once they got through that they were fine,” Bahnsen said. “Sometimes playing at home there may be a little more pressure. They may have made a couple of mistakes, but they didn’t let it get to them. That’s what it takes to keep grinding through it and focusing on playing well and just beating the golf course.”
Tulane’s Alison Walshe is the individual leader by two strokes over Emily Klein of Birmingham Southern after firing a 3-under 69. Klein is the only other competitor under par as she shot a 1-under 71 on the day.
Tulane head coach Sue Bower said this is what she expected from her best player, although Walshe was playing in the team’s No. 2 slot today.
“She’s one of the top 20 players in college golf, so she’s not normally my No. 2 player,” Bower said. “She had a fabulous fall, and I’m just happy for her. For somebody with this much talent she really hit the ball well. This is a golf course that I had a feeling she would play well, and I wouldn’t want to count her out on Sunday.”
Defending champion North Carolina finds itself in a tie for 12th with James Madison after recording a 25-over 313.
Tee times for the second round begin tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. with the Lady Tigers and Green Wave teeing off from hole No. 1 at 10 a.m. Live scoring will be provided by Golfstat.com.
LSU/CLEVELAND GOLF CLASSIC — FIRST ROUND
TEAM SCORES (Par 288)
1. LSU 296 +8; 2. Tulane 302 +14; 3. N.C. State 303 +15; t4. Birmingham Southern 305 +17; t4. Vanderbilt 305 +17; 6. Ole Miss 307 +19; 7. Louisville 308 +20; 8. College of Charleston 309 +21; t9. Kentucky 311 +23; t9. UNC-Wilmington 311 +23; 11. Mississippi State 312 +24; t12. James Madison 313 +25; t12 North Carolina 313 +25; 14. Alabama 318 +30; 15. Augusta State 321 +33; 16. Kansas 325 +37
TOP 10 INDIVIDUALS (Par 72)
1. Alison Walshe, Tulane, 69 -3; 2. Emily Klein, Birmingham Southern, 71 E; t3. Chris Brady, Vanderbilt, 72 E; t3. Katie Davidson, Ole Miss, 72 E; t3. Rebecca Kuhn, LSU, 72 E; t3. Meghan Little, Louisville, 72 E; t7. Kimberly Meck, LSU, 73 +1; t7. Katie Miller, North Carolina, 73 +1; t7. Brooke Shelton, LSU, 73 +1; t7. Adrienne White, Louisville, 73 +1;
LSU SCORES
t3. Rebecca Kuhn 72 E
t7. Kimberly Meck 73 +1
t7. Brooke Shelton 73 +1
t11. Nicola Eaton 74 +2*
t29. Vicky Meyer 78 +6
t29. Melissa Eaton 78 +6
t68. Rebecca Struthers 82 +10*
* — denotes player competing as individual