Alabama
SEC Championship
Crimson Tide Sixth After First Round of SEC Championships
4/16/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
April 16, 2010
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The University of Alabama's sixth-ranked women's golf team resides in sixth place after the opening round of the 2010 SEC Women's Golf Championship at the NorthRiver Yacht Club on Friday.
The Crimson Tide shot a 3-over-par round of 287 on the par-71, 6,057-yard NorthRiver layout and is seven strokes off the lead of Arkansas and Georgia.
"I knew that it was going to be survival on the first nine holes four us because there was some tension and anxiety," Alabama head coach Mic Potter said. "They looked back and saw everyone they know from the athletic department sitting there watching them tee off, so I think they tried a little too hard. A couple of three putts here and there that we usually don't have, but I think we struck the ball pretty well, and we are one of about eight teams that can still win it."
The Razorbacks and Bulldogs both carded 4-under-par rounds of 280 and hold a four-stroke lead over a trio of teams - LSU, Vanderbilt and Mississippi - tied for third at even-par 284. South Carolina's Benedicte Toumpsin holds the individual lead after a 3-under-par 68.
"The course set up well for us but I'm still a little surprised that we are under par at this point just out of respect for this golf course," Georgia head coach Kelley Hester said. "I think it's a pretty tough track because you have to play it smart. We are a young team but we hit it pretty far, so I just knew that it was one that we would need to be smart and play pretty conservatively to stay in good shape. We actually gave a couple shots back at the end, but three scores of 69 is pretty impressive for us."
True Freshman Jennifer Kirby paced Alabama with a 1-under-par round of 70 on Friday afternoon. The native of Paris, Ontario, Canada, posted nine consecutive pars on the front nine and then birdied the par-5 10th hole and the par-4 14th to move to 2-under par. A three-putt on the 17th hole was the only blemish on her score card in a round that left her tied for seventh entering Saturday's second round.
"I had a pretty easy putt, from about six feet on the 16th and I left it short," said Kirby, who felt like she left a few strokes on the golf course over the final three holes on Friday. "Then on the 17th, I had a putt that I'd never seen before, and I just didn't realize that it was that downhill. Overall, though it was a pretty good round."
Senior Helena Blomberg shot an even-par 72 and is tied for 14th after the opening round of play. She was even-par after the first nine holes with birdies on the first and eighth holes and bogeys on the sixth and seventh. A quick start to the back nine got her to 2-under-par after birdies on holes No. 10 and 13 but bogeys on the 15th and 18th left her at even par.
Junior Camilla Lennarth fired an up-and-down round of 1-over-par 73 to finishing the first 18 holes in a tie for 20th place. She carded four birdies on the day, but bogeys on No. 4, 5 and 11 coupled with a double bogey on No. 15 left her five strokes off the individual lead.
Brooke Pancake is tied for 33rd after the opening round with a 3-over-par 74 and senior Rhea Nair shot a 7-over-par 78 and is tied for 50th after round one.
Alabama's second round will tee off at 8:30 a.m. Saturday from the first hole at the NorthRiver Yacht Club in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide will be playing with LSU and Mississippi.
Players Mentioned
