Georgia State women's golf rode Charlotte Lorentzen's career-best 68, followed by second round 74, to a seven stroke lead through the first day of the UCF Challenge at the par-72, 6,301 yard RedTail Golf Club, Monday.
"I'm super excited that we're leading the tournament, we came down here with a great frame of mind," said Georgia State head coach Cathy Mant. "I think that having a chance to play in Miami and get a little bit more practice, you can tell now, the girls are ready."
"Everybody played well. I'm really happy for Charlotte and Ellie this morning, for the rounds they posted. They both played great golf. Charlotte's 68 is fantastic, she's really swinging at it well and feeling good about her game. Sandra really got it back together in the second round, she played her heart out after a struggle in the morning. We're going to work really hard to try and bring home a victory tomorrow."
Lorentzen posted six birdies en route to her career-low, and positioned herself in a tie for second overall, which would equal her career-best finish.
In the second round, the Soroe, Denmark native added a 74 to post 142 (-2), placing her in a tie for third, two shots back of 28th-ranked Julia Boland of Texas A&M. Boland leads the tournament at four-under par.
Senior Cathrine Madsen continued her strong play, posting a 73-72--145 (+1) to settle into a tie for seventh place.
Madsen has been a model of consistency for the Panthers this year, posting at least a top-20 in every stroke play event of the season. The Herning, Denmark native is one round away from recording her second-straight top-10 and fifth out of six tournaments this season.
Freshman Ellie Robinson has a chance to post her career best finish at the UCF Challenge after an opening round 71 (-1) placed her alone in sixth overall through the first round.
After carding a 79 in the second round, Robinson slipped to 22nd overall, still leaving her within range of picking up her best career finish.
Robinson's 71 equals her career-low, set at the Lady Pirate Intercollegiate in the fall. The Middlesbrough, England native turned that round into an 18th place finish, her best thus far.
Senior Sandra Maier rebounded from an opening round 80 with a second round 74 to move into a tie for 43rd.
Junior Iliska Verwey came away with a pair of 81s to post a 73rd place finish.
The Panthers' opening round team total of 292 (+4) marked their best since the final round of the 2009 Golfweek Conference Challenge, and is good enough to give them a one stroke lead over 24th-ranked Texas A&M heading into the second round.
After a second round 299 (+11), Georgia State holds a seven shot lead over Texas A&M, UCF, and Baylor, as they look for their second win of the year.
The final round will begin tomorrow morning at 8 a.m., and live scoring is available at www.GolfStat.com. Full results and details will be posted at www.GeorgiaStateSports.com at the close of competition.
T3. Charlotte Lorentzen 68-74--142 (-2)
T7. Cathrine Madsen 73-72--145 (+1)
T22. Ellie Robinson 71-79--150 (+6)
T43. Sandra Maier 80-74--154 (+10)
T73. Iliska Verwey 81-81--162 (+18)
1. Georgia State 292-299--591 (+15)
T2. Texas A&M 293-305--598 (+22)
T2. UCF 301-297--598 (+22)
T2. Baylor 300-298--598 (+22)
T5. Oklahoma 298-301--599 (+23)
T5. College of Charleston 299-300--599 (+23)
T7. Coastal Carolina 302-298--600 (+24)
T7. Furman 304-296--600 (+24)
9. Indiana 303-300--603 (+27)
10. SMU 303-301--604 (+28)
11. UNC-Greensboro 303-304--607 (+31)
12. South Florida 306-305--611 (+35)
13. Augusta State 314-301--615 (+39)
T14. East Carolina 311-305--616 (+40)
T14. UT-San Antonio 307-309--616 (+40)
16. Nebraska 312-315--627 (+51)
17. Miami 296-318--629 (+53)
