Leader in the Clubhouse: Benedetta Moresco Sets School Record, Collects 10 Birdies to Lead First Round

Monday, October 25

West Point, Miss.

ALL DAY

Alabama

The Ally

Photo by: Crimson Tide Photos / UA Athletics

Leader in the Clubhouse: Benedetta Moresco Sets School Record, Collects 10 Birdies to Lead First Round

10/25/2021 4:48:00 PM | Women's Golf

First Round Results Second Round Pairings Live Scoring

The Crimson Tide women’s golf team leads final fall tournament by one stroke after 18 holes

WEST POINT, Miss. – Birdies littered the scorecard of the No. 14 University of Alabama women's golf team in the opening round of The Ally Monday, as the Crimson Tide leads the field by one stroke on a 10-under-par 278. It is the program's first lead of the season following the end of a round.

Leading the lineup is Benedetta Moresco after cruising to a 9-under-par 63 on 10 birdies through 18 holes. The sophomore, who has led Alabama after the first round at all four tournaments this season, is leading the individual leaderboard, while Texas A&M's Adela Cernousek trails by three strokes in second place.

Moresco's 9-under-par 63 set or tied a handful of records in both Alabama and tournament laurels, while it also marked a career low for the reigning 2021 Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year.

Moresco set the school record for lowest first-round score, previously owned by Cheyenne Knight's 65 in 2017-18.
Moresco tied the school record for lowest score and lowest score against par, sharing the honors with Lakareber Abe's 9-under-par 63 in 2016-17.
Moresco set the tournament record for lowest first-round score, previously owned by LSU's Ingrid Linblad's 67 in 2020.
Moresco set the tournament record for lowest score, previously held by Tennessee's Mikayla Bardwell's 64 in 2020.
Moresco reset her career low, which was previously 67.

The Ally, which is the last of four tournaments for the Crimson Tide this fall, features 11 teams, including five teams ranked in Golfstat's top 25. The field consists of No. 14 Alabama, No. 3 Arkansas, Auburn, No. 7 Florida, host Mississippi State, Kentucky, LSU, Missouri, No. 12 TCU, Tennessee, No. 16 Texas A&M and Vanderbilt.

The Gators are in second place on a 9-under-par 279, while the Aggies are in third place on a 6-under-par 282. The Crimson Tide's 10-under-par 278 is the second of the season for this lineup, which is a season low and a score the program hadn't seen since October 2019 before this fall.

Both of the Moresco sisters found themselves in contention after a pair of stellar performance in the opening round at Old Waverly Golf Club.

Angelica Moresco flirted with the top five after recording a 3-under-par 69, her lowest round of the season, to earn a share of sixth place. The graduate student recorded a solid one-under on eight pars and a birdie on the back nine, followed by a two-under on a trio of birdies and a bogey on the front nine.

Fresh off a top-15 finish at the LPGA and Symetra Tour Qualifying Tournament Stage II, Polly Mack posted an even par in the first round for a tie of 21st place. She maintained an even-or-under round for most the time, until recording a triple on her 14th hole, the par-4 No. 5, but despite the setback, she concluded her round with a pair of birdies to climb back in the top 25.

Emilie Øverås and Sarah Edwards posted rounds of 2-over-par 74 to share 41st place.

Isabella van der Biest competed as an individual for the second time this season, recording a career low 1-over-par 73. The freshman is tied for 33rd. Also competing as an individual, Carolina Caminoli posted a 13-over-par 85 for 71st place.

Alabama will return to the course for the second round Tuesday, teeing off on hole No. 10 at 9 a.m. CT alongside Florida and Texas A&M.

FROM HEAD COACH MIC POTTER

"I don't know that it was what we worked on last week necessarily, but this is just a comfortable trip for us. It's so close, and the girls are all staying in the same condominium, so it's a bonding experience where they feel food and feel relaxed. Polly (Mack) is a bit tired, obviously, but everyone is feeding off of the success that she is having. The team is happy and proud of her, so those things came together and I just had a good feeling going in to today. I don't plan on someone shooting 63, the Moresco family is 12-under by themselves, but it's just a good tournament for us. I love how this team gets along so well. I love the culture they're building. They can count on each other and depend on each other and the more we have that feeling, the better we do."

RESULTS

1 Benedetta Moresco 9-under-par 63
T6 Angelica Moresco 3-under-par 69
T21 Polly Mack even-par 72
T33 Isabella van der Biest 1-over-par 73
T41 Emilie Øverås 2-over-par 74
T41 Sarah Edwards 2-over-par 74
71 Carolina Caminoli 13-over-par 85

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