BRASELTON, Ga. - The FGCU women's golf team sits in third place after shooting an opening-round 317 (+25) at the ASUN Championship on Sunday at Chateau Elan's Legends Course.
"Conditions were very difficult today, and I am proud of how we hung in there," FGCU head coach Sarah Trew said. "The hole location today on No. 5 was about as difficult as I have ever seen and as a team we handled that hole better than any team in the field. Tomorrow we just need to manage the course a little better and we will be in a good position."
Kelsy Holbert (Lutz, Fla./Steinbrenner HS) produced a team-high three birdies and shot a team-low 77 (+4). The senior is tied with two others in fourth place - just one stroke off the lead. Laura Edmonds (Buenos Aires, Argentina/Cypress Bay HS)Â shot a 78 (+5) and is two strokes off the lead and in sole possession of seventh place. She led the field with 14 opening-round pars.
Madeline Marck-Sherk (Ridgeway, Ontario/Ridgeway Crystal Beach HS) and Natalia Nassar (Bucaramanga, Colombia/Colegio Panamericano) each shot an eight-over 81 to finish in a tie for 14th, while Ailsa Clark (Navarre, Fla./Navarre HS) is in 17th with an 82 (+9).
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Kennesaw State is in first place in the team standings with a 309 (+17), while North Florida (314, +22) is five strokes back. The Green and Blue is eight strokes shy of the lead.
Team Results (#GolfStat ranking as of April 16)
1. #37 Kennesaw State - 309 (+17)
2. #68 North Florida - 314 (+22)
3. #112 FGCU - 317 (+25)
4. #146 Stetson - 326 (+34)
5. #230 Lipscomb - 341 (+49)
6. #142 Jacksonville - 345 (+53)
7. n/a North Alabama - 368 (+76)
Individual Lineup
T-4. Kelsy Holbert - 77 (+4)
7. Laura Edmonds - 78 (+5)
T-14. Madeline Marck-Sherk - 81 (+8)
T-14. Natalia Nassar - 81 (+8)
17. Ailsa Clark - 82 (+9)
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Fans can follow along during the seven-team tournament via GolfStat. The link to live scoring can be found here.
The ASUN Championship continues Monday with the second round starting at 8 a.m. ET off the first tee. The final pairing, which includes Holbert, will begin at 10:10 a.m.
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COACH TREW
Since taking over the program in 2011, Sarah Trew has guided the Eagles to 36 top-five finishes, including six in each of the past three seasons. On top of that, she led the program to a pair of second-place finishes in the ASUN Championship in 2016 and 2017, which signifies the best finishes in program history.
Over the past three years, the 2015-16 ASUN Coach of the Year has led the Green and Blue to its three best seasons in program history in stroke average, birdies, par-3 scoring, par-4 scoring and par-5 scoring. Her 2017-18 team tied the program record for low round with a 290 (+2) in the FIU Pat Bradley Invitational and also tied the record for best 36-hole total in the same event (589, +13). Her 2012-13 team holds the 54-hole record of 887 (+23) in the ASUN Championship, but her 2017-18 team holds the third-best mark with an 895 (+31) in the FIU Pat Bradley Invitational.
Trew was instrumental in FGCU's six top-five finishes in 2017-18. The highlight of the season came when the team captured first-place in the MSU Citrus Classic, signifying the program's first outright tournament championship since March 2008. She previously led the team to a share of first-place in the FGCU Eagle Invitational on Sept. 16, 2013.
The 2018 season also witnessed Natalia Nassar capture the ASUN Conference's Freshman of the Year award, which represented the program's first-ever major athletic award recipient. Also, for the first time since 2011, the team claimed three ASUN golfer of the week recipients - Katie Williamson (March 22), Madeline Marck-Sherk (March 15) and Nassar (Feb. 8) in the same season. It was also just the second time in program history the team won the award in back-to-back weeks. Overall, last year's trio represents one-third of the program's nine weekly recipients since Trew took over.
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SOCIAL MEDIA
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.
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#FEEDFGCU
FGCU Athletics sponsors events in November and April to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics' charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visit www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag #FeedFGCU to help raise awareness.
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ABOUT FGCU
FGCU teams have combined to win an incredible 76 conference regular season and tournament titles in just 11+ seasons at the Division-I level. Additionally, in just seven+ seasons of D-I postseason eligibility, the Eagles have had a combined 35 teams or individuals compete in NCAA championships. Seven FGCU programs have earned a top-25 national ranking in their respective sport – including both men's and women's soccer again in 2018. In 2016-17, the Green and Blue posted a department-best 6th-place finish in the DI-AAA Learfield Directors' Cup and top-100 showing nationally, ahead of several Power-5 and FBS institutions. FGCU also collectively earned a record 3.35 GPA in the classroom in the Spring, 2018 and had an ASUN Conference and State of Florida best five teams earn the NCAA's Public Recognition Award for their Academic Progress Rate in their sport. The Eagles also served an all-time high 7,200 volunteer hours – being recognized as one of two runners-up for the inaugural NACDA Community Service Award presented by the Fiesta Bowl.
