ROGERS, Ark. — The tournament the LSU women’s golf team so pointed to appeared to slip from their grasp after just one round of the 2000 SEC Women’s Golf Championships here Friday at the Pinnacle Country Club.
The Lady Tigers, ranked eighth in the nation in both of the major golf polls entering the event, appeared to be at the top of their game and confidence level after posting a 31-stroke win in the LSU/Cleveland Golf Classic just two weeks ago. But the Lady Tigers, one of the tournament favorites, finished the first-round a stunning 33-strokes over par, at 321, to stand in a tie for ninth in the 12-team event.
The round, in relation to the other team scores in post-season, is probably the worst shot by LSU since the 1987 NCAA East Regional when the Lady Tigers failed to qualify for the NCAA Championships. It is the furthest down LSU has been in the SEC event since 1994 when LSU finished eighth.
The leader is Auburn with an 18-over par score of 306, 15 shots better than the Lady Tigers. Auburn is one shot better than Mississippi State at 307. The Lady Bulldogs team scored included the only under par round of the day by medalist Christina Clausen who shot even on the front nine and under one on the back for a 1-under round of 71. Seventh-ranked Georgia is in third at 311, one shot better than Tennessee at 312.
The par-72 Pinnacle Country Club proved to be difficult for many of the competitors in the windy conditions dealing both with the fescue rough around the greens and then once on the surface, trying to coax the ball in the hole without three-putting. Only three players were able to break par over any nine-hole stretch on the opening day. That is one reason, LSU is still considered not to be fully eliminated because of the high scores on the first day.
LSU’s two sophomores, Tina Howard of New Zealand and Meredith Duncan of Shreveport, came up with the best rounds of the day for the Tigers. Howard finished with a 5-over 77 and Duncan bogeyed the last two holes to finish at 6-over 78. Senior Lisette Lee struggled on the putting surface and posted an 8-over 80, while junior Katy Wilkinson had the final counting score of the day at 14-over 86. Howard is in a group tied for 11th place, while Duncan is in a group tied for 20th position.
“It was just the wrong time to come up with a round like this,” said LSU Coach Karen Bahnsen. “We struggled all the way around the golf course. It was a grind and we just couldn’t complete the holes when we got on the green. It’s something we’ve got to put behind us and now try to go out and make some things happen and hope to catch some breaks from the other teams.”
The 54-hole tournament continues on Saturday with a second round, with the final round scheduled for Sunday.
SEC Women’s Golf Championships
Rogers, Ark. — Pinnacle Country Club
First Round Team Results (Par 288)
1. Auburn 306 +18
2. Mississippi State 307 +19
3. Georgia 311 +23
4. Tennessee 312 +24
5. South Carolina 314 +26
5. Kentucky 314 +26
7. Florida 316 +28
8. Arkansas 318 +30
9. LSU 321 +33
9. Ole Miss 321 +33
11. Alabama 323 +35
12. Vanderbilt 328 +40
First Round Individual Top 20 (Par 72)
1. Christina Clausen, Mississippi St. 36-35 — 71 -1
2. Celeste Troche, Auburn 37-36 — 73 +1
3. Danielle Downey, Auburn 37-37 — 74 +2
3. Robyn Rinaldo, Ole Miss 36-38 — 74 +2
5. Tina Schneeberger, Tennessee 37-38 — 75 +3
6. Paula Marti, Florida 39-37 — 76 +4
6. Marie Allen, Kentucky 41-35 — 76 +4
6. Meredeth Ward, Vanderbilt 41-35 –76 +4
6. Brittany Straza, Florida 39-37 — 76 +4
6. Laura Henderson, Georgia 39-37 — 76 +4
11. Anna Gertsson, Mississippi St. 37-40 — 77 +5
11. Kristy McPherson, S. Carolina 39-38 — 77 +5
11. Johanna Danielsson, Arkansas 37-40 — 77 +5
11. Shauna Estes, Georgia 39-38 — 77 +5
11. Teresa Brown, Ole Miss 39-38 — 77 +5
11. Vanessa Bell, Alabama 38-39 — 77 +5
11. Kami Smith, Auburn 41-36 — 77+5
11. Tina Howard, LSU 37-40 — 77 +5
11. Kristy Kortuem, Arkansas 38-39 — 77 +5
20. Paula Carter, Alabama 36-42 — 78 +6
20. Angela Jerman, Georgia 39-39 — 78 +6
20. Towa Okiyama, Kentucky 40-38 — 78 +6
20. Meredith Duncan, LSU 39-39 — 78 +6
20. Stefanie Reynolds, S. Carolina 36-42 –78 +6
20. Sue Phillips, Miss. State 39-39 — 78 +6
20. Stacey Bergman, Tennessee 39-39– 78 +6
LSU Scores
t11. Tina Howard 77 +5
t20 Meredith Duncan 78 +6
t31. Lisette Lee 80 +8
t48. Katy Wilkinson 86 +14
t59. Lindy Hitdlebaugh 91 +19