ORANGE PARK, Fla. – Led by three golfers in the top 12, the Georgia State women's golf team shot an opening round 4-over 292 and stand in second-place at the JMU Eagle Landing Invitational. Junior Lauren Court shot a 1-under 71, which included a hole-in-one to lead the Panthers.
Georgia State is just one stroke behind former conference foe Delaware in the 16 team field.
Court currently stands in a tie for third. She aced the par-3 second hole from 160-yards and made a birdie on the par-5 17th hole coming in for the 1-under round.
Seniors Laura Sanchez and Maria Palacios are tied for 12th at 1-over par. The duo combined to make five birdies on day one of the three day tournament.
“I am really proud of the way the team played today,” head coach Cathy Mant said. “After the tough weather we have had back in Atlanta, they really came out focused today.
“Lauren got off to a great start with her hole-in-one and then played well the rest of her round. Maria Palacios played great considering she has not been able to practice much the last couple of weeks. I also need to commend Solveig who put together a nice round playing as an individual.
“If we can make a few more putts this weekend, I think we are capable of putting together a really low round. It is an exciting time for our team right now.”
Senior Melissa Siviter shot an opening round 3-over 75 and stands in a tie for 34th.
Freshman Jooeun Bae, making her collegiate debut, shot a first-round 80 and is tied for 70th with 36 holes to play.
Solveig Helgesen, one of three Panthers competing as individuals, shot an opening round 2-over 74 and stands tied for 23rd.
Freshman Solene LeCoz, also competing as an individual, is tied for 51st following a 5-over 77. Sophomore Julie Lied is tied for 75th following an opening round 10-over 82.
The Blue Hens lead by one following the opening round 3-over par performance. Elon is just one stroke behind the Panthers and in third after shooting 293. Western Carolina is fourth at 7-over, followed by Southern Illinois in fifth at 8-over.
UNC Greensboro's Berglind Bjornsdottir and Elon's Emily Brooks lead the field after each shot opening round 3-under par 69s. Court is tied for third with Richmond's Lauren Conder and Chelsea Guoynes from Florida Gulf Coast, each at 1-under par.
Live scoring of the entire event will be available at Golfstat.com.
Following this week's action, Georgia State will be back in action March 24-25 for the UALR Women's Golf Classic at Diamante Country Club in Little Rock, Ark.