COLUMBIA, Mo. – Despite an increase in play in the second round, the FGCU women's golf team finished the first day of competition at the 2014 Johnie Imes Invitational ranked 13th. The Eagles carded scores of 324 and 294 for a total score of 618 to sit 56 strokes out of the lead and 17 strokes shy of the top-10.
The host Missouri Tigers fired scores of 282 and 280 to hold the lead after two rounds of competition at the Club at Old Hawthorne. Kansas State, FIU, Arkansas-Little Rock and Middle Tennessee hold the top positions with one round of play remaining.
"Today was a growing experience for us," explained head coach Sarah Trew. "Our two rounds could not be a greater contrast from one another. The first-round was a struggle, as a team a double bogeys and three triples. You can't make big numbers like that and expect to play well. We put ourselves in positions that we could not recover from. The second round we were much smarter much more patient and more consistent. We knew this course in this field we're going to challenge us and I am very happy with the way we stepped up and handle adversity the second round. We are plenty capable of shooting low numbers, we just have to be a little smarter tomorrow."
A trio of Eagles tied for the team's best score of 153 through two rounds. Senior captain Georgia Price (Bude, England/Fort Myers High School), junior Mei Khuan Yong (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia/S.M.K. Cochrane) and freshman Madison Easterbrook (Burlington, Ontario/Aldershot High School) each rank 49th in the field of 84 golfers.
Price carded a plus-7 score of 79 in the opening round but responded with a plus-2 score of 74 in the afternoon session. Price fired four birdies in the second round including three straight on holes 17, 18 and 1.
Yong recorded a score of 82 in the morning session but fired a career-best 1-under round in the afternoon session, while Easterbrook scored plus-8 in the first round and plus-1 in the second. Yond carded eight bogeys and one birdie in the first round but proved to be more consistent in the second. The afternoon session saw 15 even-par holes by Yong with birdies on holes 3 and 11and a bogey on 16. Easterbrook scored the team's only eagle of the day with a two on hole 5 in the first round. Her first round saw the eagle, four birdies, six bogeys and four double bogeys. In the afternoon round, Easterbrook fired four birdies, three bogeys and one double bogey to shave seven strokes off her first-round score.
The trio sits at plus-9 on the day, 16 strokes behind tournament leader Alina Rogers of Mizzou.
Freshman Ashley Kimbrough (Clearwater, Fla./Indian Rocks Christian School) holds 65th place after the second round with a total score of 159. Kimbrough went plus-11 in the first round and plus-4 in her second round and now sits 22 strokes out of the lead. The freshman saw 14 bogeys and four birdies through 36 holes.
Sara Detlefsen (Eagan, Minn./Minnesota Virtual Academy) rounds out the Eagle lineup with a score of 165. Detlefsen carded a plus-11 round in the morning and used two birdies to shave one stroke off for an 82 in the afternoon session.
All five of the team's golfers shaved strokes off their scores in the second round.
Tournament action will continue on Tuesday, Sept. 30 with a shotgun start scheduled for 8 a.m.
Mizzou's Invitational honors the late Johnie Imes, a longtime supporter of Mizzou women's golf and features a rich history of strong play. The tournament has seen a different team winner in each of the last six years with SMU earning the tournament crown in 2012. The event was not played in 2013.
Results will be available on the Missouri Athletics website – www.MUTigers.com and at FGCUAthletics.com with live updates available via BirdieFire. Complete Results will be made public at the conclusion of each round.
Complete Results
Individuals
T49. Georgia Price 79-74-153
T49. Mei Khuan Yong 82-71-153
T49. Madison Easterbrook 80-73-153
65. Ashley Kimbrough 83-76-159
77. Sara Detlefsen 83-82-165
Team
1.Missouri 282-280-562
2.Kansas State 280-285-565
3.FIU 288-284-572
4.Arkansas-Little Rock 285-291-576
5.Middle Tennessee 290-291-581
6.Coastal Carolina 292-295-588
7.Wichita State 297-297-594
8.Bradley 300-296-596
9.South Florida 300-300-600
10.Missouri-Kansas City 399-302-601
11.Illinois State 311-303-614
12. Southern Illinois 316-300-616
13.FGCU 324-294-618
14.Oklahoma City University 313-312-625
15.Redlands Community College 322-318-640
