COLUMBIA, Mo. – Highlighted by a hole in one from freshman Kate Williamson, the FGCU women's golf team finished day one of the Johnie Imes Invitational in ninth place out of 15 teams. Williamson and senior Megan Blonien both shot sub-70 rounds in the first day of competition.
 
The Eagles posted team rounds of 298 and 295 for a total of 593 (+17) in the first 36 holes of the two-day tournament. FGCU is just three shots out of eighth place, which is currently held by Memphis. Host Missouri leads the tournament as the only team under par with -2 for a total of 574 through two rounds.
 
"I think we played solid overall today," said head coach Sarah Trew. "We had two solid rounds, and I think we can even go a little lower tomorrow if we eliminate some of those doubles. We have a very talented team, and I'm excited to see the ladies begin to believe it."
 
Blonien (Altus, Okla./Altus HS/Oklahoma State) posted rounds of 72 and 69 for a team-best 141 after the first day of action. The team's lone senior is tied for fifth place in the field and will enter day two just three shots out of the lead held by Fatima Cano of Troy, Emma Allen of Missouri and Loy Hee Ying of ETSU, who are tied at 138. Her second round of the day included five birdies on the front en route to her three-under par score.
 
Williamson (Deerfield Beach, Fla./Archbishop HS) carded a career-low 68 in the round one of the tournament, including her first ever hole in one on 16. After shooting a 74 in her second round of the day, Williamson is tied for 10th in the field with a two-under par 142.
 
"I'm so proud of Megan and Kate for their play today, and I'm really excited to get back out there tomorrow and see what we can do" Trew said.
 
Sophomore Madeline Marck-Sherk (Ridgeway, Ontario/Ridgeway Crystal Beach High School) had some trouble in her first round with a handful of over-par holes, but rebounded in round two with a pair of birdies on her way to a 74. Her total score of 153 (+9) ties her for 55th place in the 81-player field.
 
Playing as an individual, Jean Tyrrell (Leawood, Kan./Blue Valley North HS) improved by eight holes after starting the day off with a round of 81. The sophomore carded three birdies and six par scores on the front nine en route to her round two score of 73.
 
Freshman Ailsa Clark (Navarre, Fla./Navarre HS) finished day one tied for 74th with scores of 79 and 78 in the first two rounds of competition, while sophomore Kelsy Holbert (Lutz, Fla./Steinbrenner HS) rounded out the roster with a plus-16 score of 160 after carding rounds of 81 and 79.
 
Final-round action is set to begin on Tuesday with a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. Live scoring can be accessed here.
 
This year, The Johnie will be raising money for pediatric cancer in honor of Rhyan Roos, daughter Missouri assistant men's basketball coach Brad Loos who has been diagnosed with cancer. Each of the 15 teams competing at the tournament will be paired with a child who has been affected by this horrible disease and will be raising money to support their recovery.
 
FGCU is paired with 10-year-old Braden Hofen from Olathe, Kansas. Braden was diagnosed with neuroblastoma in 2007 and secondary MDS several years later. Neuroblastoma is an extremely rare childhood cancer that affects one in 10 million children. Braden has been fighting for six years now, and has beaten the disease twice despite 10% odds of survival. Some of Braden's favorite hobbies include basketball, bowling and playing with Legos. His favorite movies are Despicable Me and Toy Story. He loves to read and wants to be a basketball player or heart surgeon when he grows up.
 
Help us support Braden's recovery by donating here. You can also visit Braden's Army Facebook page by clicking here and his Twitter account by clicking here. The link can also be found on the FGCU_WGolf Twitter page. Make sure to mention FGCU when you donate, as Missouri will tracking donations to find out which school raised the most money for their buddy.
 
FGCU LINEUP (star indicated participating as an individual)
T-5. Megan Blonien: 72-69: 141 (-3)
T-10. Kate Williamson: 68-74: 142 (-2)
T-55. Madeline Marck-Sherk: 79-74: 153 (+9)
T-62. *Jean Tyrrell: 81-73: 154 (+10)
T-74. Ailsa Clark: 79-78: 157 (+13)
79. Kelsy Holbert: 81-79: 160 (+16)
 
COMPLETE FIELD
1. 42 Missouri: 282-292: 574 (-2)
2. 68 Fresno State: 291-288: 579 (+3)
3. 104 Kennesaw State: 294-287: 581 (+5)
T-4. 98 FIU: 289-294: 583 (+7)
T-4. 95 ETSU: 292-291: 583 (+7)
6. 89 Troy: 290-295: 585 (+9)
7. 106 Mercer: 287-300: 587 (+11)
8. 91 Memphis: 298-292: 590 (+14)
9. 140 FGCU: 298-295: 593 (+17)
T-10. 130 Rutgers: 307-289: 596 (+20)
T-10. 152 Akron: 298-298: 596 (+20)
12. 147 NIU: 299-300: 599 (+23)
13. 74 Long Beach State: 295-307: 602 (+26)
T14. 198 North Texas: 320-283: 603 (+27)
T14. 110 Little Rock: 297-306: 603 (+27)
 
FOLLOW ALONG
For up-to-the minute information and a behind-the-scenes look at the FGCU women's golf program, follow on Twitter at @FGCU_WGolf and on Facebook at /FGCUWGolf. 
 
HEAD COACH SARAH TREW
Head coach Sarah Trew recently is currently in her 6th season at the helm of the FGCU women's golf team after being named Atlantic Sun Coach of the Year in 2016. Trew took over in 2011 and has since guided the Eagles to the program's best-ever finish in the ASUN Tournament and to 20+ top-10 finishes. A year ago, Trew led the team to several records on and off the course. The 2013-14 squad set a new single-season scoring record with a team average of 307.88, while also setting a new benchmark academically. The spring of 2015 saw the Eagles again take third place at the A-Sun Championship, and recording their best team score of the season while 2016 again set a new standard. The 2015-16 squad recorded a new program best with a 305.29 average and took a second-place finish at the conference tournament. In that event, the Eagles carded a team score of 290 to set the program's new record and earned the top finish in program history.