MOBILE, Ala. – FGCU women's golf got off to a shaky start on Saturday morning at the USA Intercollegiate hosted by South Alabama. After 18 holes, the Eagles carded a team total of 311 (+23) and will enter the second round tied for ninth place among the 10-team field. With 36-holes left to play over the next two days, the Eagles should have plenty of time to recover and put themselves back in tournament contention.
 
"I'm really surprised by the way we played today," said head coach Sarah Trew. "The course is set up for scoring, and we simply didn't take advantage. We carded some big numbers, but this time we didn't make up for it with birdies. There is no doubt this team is talented. We simply have to play smarter. I think we got tired and it impacted our decision-making. We also need to focus on hitting quality shots and not try to force things. We had a poor round today, but how we react to it is what's important."
 
The Eagles' first round puts them 23 shots behind tournament leader Eastern Kentucky who totaled 294 (+6) in the first round. Southern Mississippi carded a score of 295 (+7) and stands in second place. Georgia State, South Alabama and Alabama-Birmingham round out the top-five positions with scores of 298 (+10), 301 (+13) and 302 (+14) respectively.
 
FGCU totaled eight birdies as a team during the first day of competition, with freshman Ailsa Clark (Navarre, Fla./Navarre HS) and sophomore Kelsy Holbert (Lutz, Fla./Steinbrenner HS) combining for three as individuals.
 
Clark, who saw some struggles in her first tournament with the Eagles last weekend, carded the lowest score out of the FGCU golfers in the first round with a one-over par 73, including a pair of birdies on holes 7 and 12. She heads into round two tied for seventh on the players' leaderboard.
 
Junior Madison Easterbrook (Burlington, Ontario/Adlershot HS), senior Megan Blonien (Altus, Okla./Altus HS) and Holbert recorded top-30 finishes after one round. Easterbrook and Holbert each shot 76 (+4) in their first rounds and are currently tied for 24 in the field, while Blonien carded a five-over par 77, tying for 28^th.
 
Madeline Marck-Sherk (Ridgeway, Ontario/Ridgeway Crystal Beach HS) turned in a seven-over par 79. The FGCU sophomore recorded two birdies on holes 6 and 16, but double bogeys on 12 and 18 caused her score to suffer. Freshman Katie Williamson (Deerfield Beach/Blue Valley North HS) also carded a 79 (+7) and is tied with Marck-Sherk for 38^th in the tournament.
 
Sophomore  Jean Tyrrell (Leawood, Kan./Blue Valley North HS) rounds out the lineup for the Green and Blue in day one of the competition with a plus-nine score of 81. Tyrell tallied two birdies for the Eagles, but struggles on hole 6 held her back from a lower score.
 
FGCU will look to rebound tomorrow in round two. Holbert tees off first for the Green and Blue at 9:20 a.m. The final round on Monday will begin at 8 a.m. Follow the tournament on Golfstat.com or by clicking here.
 
FGCU LINEUP (star indicates participating as an individual)
T7 – Ailsa Clark 73 (+1)*
T24 – Madison Easterbrook 76 (+4)
T24 – Kelsy Holbert 76 (+4) *
T28 – Megan Blonien 77 (+5)
T38 – Madeline Marck-Sherk 79 (+7)
T38 – Katie Williamson 79 (+7)
T48 – Jean Tyrrell 81 (+9)

COMPLETE FIELD (#=2015-16 final Golfstat Ranking)
1. # Eastern Kentucky 294 (+6)
2. # Southern Mississippi 295 (+7)
3. # Georgia State 298 (+10)
4. # South Alabama 301 (+13)
5. # Alabama-Birmingham 302 (+14)
6. # Samford 304 (+16)
7. # Alabama State 307 (+19)
8. # McNeese State 309 (+21)
T9. # FGCU 311 (+23)
T9. # Stephen F. Austin 311 (+23)
 
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 recently completed her fifth season at the helm of the FGCU women's golf team. Trew took over in 2011 and has since guided the Eagles to the program's best-ever finish in the Atlantic Sun 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.