Georgia State's Charlotte Lorentzen shot a one-over-par 73 to lead the Panthers in their first round of the spring, played at the UCF Challenge at RedTail Golf Club in Sorrento, Fla.
In cold conditions, the Panthers, ranked No. 61 by Golfweek, posted a team score of 14-over 288 on the par-72, 6,374-yard RedTail course to stand in 14th place after one round. No. 22 Baylor (284, -4) and No. 3 Auburn (285, -3) are one and two in the 18-team field, which features seven teams among the top 50 in the latest Golfweek rankings.
The 54-hole event continues with single rounds Monday and Tuesday.
"We are playing against a great field in some tough conditions," said GSU head coach Cathy Mant. "We played the back nine first, which was definitely tougher. We were 10-over on our first nine, and then we improved to four-over for our second nine.
"On another positive note," Mant continued, "our total score today was four strokes better than our average for the fall, so we can build on that."
Lorentzen, the senior from Soroe, Denmark and the nation's No. 28 individual by Golfweek, played her first nine at two-over and then carded birdies on her 11th and 16th holes before bogeying her 17th hole to finish at one-over. She stands tied for 22nd in the individual standings, four shots behind co-leaders Hayley Davis of Baylor and Victoria Trapani of Auburn, who each shot 68.
"Charlotte played solid golf all day," noted Mant.
Senior Charlotte Guilleux and freshman Lauren Court each shot four-over 76 for the Panthers, followed by sophomore Laura Sanchez at five-over 77.
"Charlotte [Guilleux] didn't strike the ball as well as she has been," said Mant. "For a freshman, Lauren Court maintained herself better than she did in the fall, so that was positive. Laura Sanchez played pretty well but finished with a double, so she was disappointed with that."
Playing in her first collegiate tournament, freshman Haley Zagoria shot 82.
"Haley was nervous at the beginning and put up a couple of big numbers, but she did hit a lot of good shots today," said Mant.
UCF CHALLENGE, Round 1
RedTail Golf Club, Sorrento, Fla.
TEAM SCORES:
1, Baylor, -4, 284
2, Auburn, -3, 285
3, Augusta State, -2, 286
4, Tulane, -1, 287
5, South Carolina, +2, 290
T6, South Florida, +4, 292
T6, Texas, +4, 292
8, UCF, +7, 295
9, Kentucky, +9, 297
10, UTSA, +11, 299
T11, Kennesaw State, +12, 300
T11, Memphis, +12, 300
13, Miami, +13, 301
14, Georgia State, +14, 302
15, Coastal Carolina, +15, 303
16, Kansas, +18, 306
17, Mississippi State, +20, 308
18, Minnesota, +22, 310
GSU INDIVIDUALS
T-22--Charlotte Lorentzen, 73 (+1)
T-60--Charlotte Guilleux, 76 (+4)
T-60--Lauren Court, 76 (+4)
T-71--Laura Sanchez, 77 (+5)
T-95--Hayley Zagoria, 82 (+10)
