Georgia State women's golf wrapped up the opening day at the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic in 17th of 23 teams after recording a first round 322 (+34) behind senior Sandra Maier's 12th place performance Friday in Athens, Ga.
Maier posted a four-over par 76 to earn a share of 12th place, finishing her round with back-to-back birdies.
The Grossbottwar, Germany native has a chance to post her best finish of the season against the most talented field Georgia State has played in recent memory. Maier's previous best, this season, was a 12th place finish at the Hurricane Invitational.
Maier is currently one shot ahead of the nation's top-ranked golfer, Cydney Clanton of Auburn, two shots back of Cheyenne Woods of Wake Forest, and six shots shy of the leader, Duke's Lindy Duncan, who currently ranks 11th nationally.
The Panthers held their own through one round against stiff competition. All but three of the 23 teams in the tournament are ranked in the top 50 by GolfStat. 38 individuals competing this week are ranked in the GolfStat top 100.
"The wind blew pretty hard today, and the greens were really tough," said Georgia State head coach Cathy Mant. "But, the girls hit the ball really well."
Sophomore Charlotte Lorentzen shot the second-best round of the day for the Panthers, a seven-over par 79 to place 32nd.
Lorenzten is no stranger to success against elite fields. As a freshman, the Soroe, Denmark native, posted a second place finish at the University of Florida's SunTrust Lady Gator Invitational, still a career-best.
Junior Iliska Verwey settled into 82nd place after a first round 83 (+11). Freshman Ellie Robinson rounded out the scoring for the Panthers with her 84 (+12).
Senior Cathrine Madsen struggled in the opening round, posting an 85 (+13).
"Cathrine shared with me that she hit 13 fairways and 12 greens but shot 85," said Mant. "That's how our rounds were today. We hit the ball well, but putted and chipped badly. The greens were difficult, hard to get it close to the hole because of the wind."
Madsen and Maier are the only two Panthers to have played the University of Georgia Golf Course in competition, during the 2008 NCAA East Regional. At that event, Maier finished 90th and Madsen came in 85th. Madsen finished 63rd in the 2007 Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic, the last time the Panthers were invited to the tournament.
Duke leads the team competition after posting a first round 300 (+12). The fourth-ranked Blue Devils' nearest competitors are North Carolina, Purdue, and Auburn all tied at +22.
"It was good for our team, playing today and getting a good feel for the greens, because they're much faster than what we're used to," said Mant. "If we hit the ball like we did today, and putt anywhere near average we should do quite well."
Georgia State will return to the course tomorrow for the second round of the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic, beginning at 9 a.m. The final round will be played Sunday.
Live scoring is available for the event at www.GolfStat.com. Full results will be posted at www.GeorgiaStateSports.com at the end of each round.
T12. Sandra Maier 76 (+4)
T32. Charlotte Lorentzen 79 (+7)
T82. Iliska Verwey 83 (+11)
T92. Ellie Robinson 84 (+12)
T100. Cathrine Madsen 85 (+13)
1. Duke 300 (+12)
T2. North Carolina 310 (+22)
T2. Auburn 310 (+22)
T2. Purdue 310 (+22)
5. Arkansas 312 (+24)
T6. Michigan State 314 (+26)
T6. Florida 314 (+26)
T8. Ohio State 315 (+27)
T8. Wake Forest 315 (+27)
10. Alabama 316 (+28)
11. Tennessee 318 (+30)
12. Tulane 319 (+31)
T13. Kent State 320 (+32)
T13. Virginia 320 (+32)
T15. Georgia 321 (+33)
T15. Denver 321 (+33)
17. Georgia State 322 (+34)
T18. Furman 323 (+35)
19. South Carolina 324 (+36)
20. Mississippi 327 (+39)
21. Georgia (B) 329 (+41)
22. UCF 330 (+42)
23. Mississippi State 342 (+54)
