Tide in 15th Place at UA-Ann Rhoads Intercollegiate
10/26/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. ?? Hosting its own tournament for the first time in two years, the 14th-ranked University of Alabama women’s golf team got off to a difficult start in the UA-Ann Rhoads Intercollegiate, shooting a 313 to stand in 15th place after 18 holes of play at the NorthRiver Golf Club.
“I am not sure what happened to us today,” said Alabama head coach Mic Potter. “The course played more difficult than I’ve ever seen it, but I think of us as being in the league with some of the teams up toward the top of the leaderboard. We maybe tried too hard and put too much pressure on ourselves playing at our home tournament. But there’s lots of golf left to play, we just need to relax, loosen up a little and let things happen.”
The best round of the day by a Tide player came from sophomore Rhea Nair, who is competing as an individual at the event. Nair fired 2-over 73 in the round and stands in a tie for 10th place, the only UA player in the top 35 in the individual standings. She fired two birdies and recorded an eagle with a two on the 13th hole.
“I’ m proud of Rhea, she lost by one shot to make the team on Wednesday,” said Potter. “But we talked about the fact that Courtney won a tournament earlier this year as an individual and she can too. She managed her game well even though she didn’t hit it as well as she can and got around the course well. We all need to do the same thing tomorrow.”
In team scoring, Alabama was led by junior Kathleen Ekey and sophomore Helena Blomberg, who each posted rounds of 77 on the day, 6-over par. Ekey had six bogies and 12 pars, while Blomberg fired a pair of birdies on the afternoon. The teammates stand in a tie for 36th place.
True freshman Camilla Lennarth, also competing as an individual, equaled Ekey and Blomberg by posting a 6-over 77 in round one. The native of Sweden had two bogies and two double bogies in her round to stand in a tie with several players, including Ekey and Blomberg, in 36th place in the individual standings.
Laura Goodwin, a junior from Birmingham, shot an 8-over 79 on day one to stand in a tie for 53rd place, while freshman Courtney Harter posted a 9-over 80 to earn a tie for 65th place. Senior Sarah Sturm shot an 82 in round one.
Arkansas, ranked No. 7 in the nation entering the tournament, holds the lead in the team standings over Louisville by two strokes. Notre Dame is in third place, followed by Furman and South Carolina.
The Lady Razorbacks’ Stacy Lewis holds the lead in the individual standings over Furman’s Stefanie Kenoyer by one stroke. Cindy LaCrosse from Louisville is in third place in the medalist race.
Second-round action begins on Saturday at 8:00 a.m. Admission is free for the entire weekend. Live stats, updated tee times, standings and directions to the course can be found on RollTide.com.
Players Mentioned
