LAWRENCE, Kan. – Backed by senior Georgia Price's team-best score of 156 through two rounds, the FGCU women's golf team maintained an eighth-place standing after the first day of competition at the Kansas Marilynn Smith Sunflower Invitational. The Eagles produced a team score of 629 (317-312) through 36 holes at the Alvamar Golf Club on Monday, Sept. 8.
After the first two rounds, host Kansas holds the lead with a +14 score of 590, while in-state foe Kansas State sits just six strokes behind at 596 for second place. Oral Roberts, Texas Tech and Central Arkansas round out the top five, while Arkansas-Little Rock and Arkansas State also sit ahead of the Green and Blue. FGCU sits 12 strokes behind Arkansas State and 39 strokes out of the lead.
"Today was a great opportunity to see how we stack up against some very solid teams," said fourth-year head coach Sarah Trew. "We struggled a little bit, which I think can be attributed to first-tournament jitters. I think we can definitely take positives away from today, as we are making ourselves better by getting outside our comfort zones. Tomorrow we have to set a goal of eliminating three-putts and double-bogeys. If we can do that, we can avoid despondence and put together a solid finishing round."
Individually, Price (Bude, England/Fort Myers High School) led the Eagles in the first round with a score of 76 and followed with an 80 in the afternoon session. With a combined score of 156 she sits in a tie for 26th place with one round remaining.
Junior Mei Khuan Yong (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia/S.M.K. Cochrane) carded a 78 in the opening round and followed with a 79 for a 157 and a tie for 30th place.
Freshmen and Ashley Kimbrough (Clearwater, Fla./Indian Rocks Christian School) and Madison Easterbrook (Burlington, Ontario/Aldershot High School) opened their collegiate careers with total scores of 159 on the day to finish among the top half of competitors.
Kimbrough opened the tournament with an 80 in the first round before finishing the day with a 79, while Easterbrook carded an 82 in the first round and shaved five strokes off her second round for a 77.
Junior Sara Detlefsen (Eagan, Minn./Minnesota Virtual Academy) rounded out the FGCU lineup with a score 160.
The Marilynn Smith Sunflower Invitational will conclude with a round of 18 on Tuesday, Sept. 9. The Eagles will tee off at 8:30 a.m. on holes 10, 11, 12 and 13.
Complete results will be available on the Kansas Athletics website – www.KUAthletics.com linked at the Marilynn Smith Sunflower Invitational central page and via FGCUAthletics.com. Results will be made available at the conclusion of each round.
Individual Results
T26. Georgia Price – 76-76-156
T30. Mei Khuan Yong – 78-79-157
T36. Ashley Kimbrough – 80-79-159
T36. Madison Easterbrook – 82-77-159
T38. Sara Detlefsen – 83-77-160
Complete Results
1.Kansas – 269-294-590
2.Kansas State – 300-296-596
T3.Oral Roberts – 303-304-607
T3.Texas Tech – 304-303-607
5.Central Arkansas – 303-306-609
6.Arkansas-Little Rock – 306-306-612
7.Arkansas State – 313-304-617
8. FGCU 317-312-629
9.Kansas (B) 322-313-635
10.UMKC – 326-317-643
11. Redlands CC – 337-323-680
