Ball State University Athletics
Women's Golf Leads Cardinal Classic After Day One
September 22, 2012 | Women's Golf
YORKTOWN, Ind. -- The Ball State women's golf team holds the first-round lead at its own Cardinal Classic after posting a score of 309 Saturday at The Players Club. The Cardinals have two of the top 3 and three of the top 10 golfers on the individual leaderboard.
Ball State sophomore Jenna Hague carded a 3-over par round of 75 and sits in second place, while junior Meghan Perry fired a 4-over 76 to tie for third on day one. Senior Autumn Duke is tied for eighth after a first round of 6-over 78.
Marshall's Korakot Simsiriwong holds a three-shot lead in the individual race after opening with an even-par round of 72.
The Cardinals' 21-over par team total leads the second-place Thundering Herd by one stroke. IUPUI is five shots back at 26-over 314 after a challenging day on the par-72, 6,258-yard layout.
The Cardinal Classic concludes Sunday at The Players Club with the final 18 holes of the 36-hole event scheduled for a 9 a.m. shotgun start.
"We played really good golf for the first two-thirds of today's round, and then the wind picked up significantly and the course played harder for everyone," Ball State coach Katherine Mowat said. "Across the board scores were inflated in the last six holes of play."
Ball State senior Zoe Camus shot an 80 to tie for 21st place in Saturday's opening round, while junior Sarah Westaway rounded out the lineup with an 83.
The Cardinals also have four players competing as individuals in the tournament, led by freshman Karley Dobis, who is tied for 15th after a first-round 79. Sophomore Ashtyn Brown (83), junior Mary Welch (84) and freshman Brenna Obergfell (88) are also competing as individuals.
It was a cool day Saturday with temperatures barely reaching 60 degrees and winds gusting, especially late in the round. Hague, who began her round on the 18th hole, played her first nine holes of the day 2-under par before dropping some shots in the high winds. Similarly, Perry was 1-over through 12 holes before losing a few strokes on the way in.
Both of them, along with Duke, managed to keep their rounds together despite the conditions to stay within striking distance of Simsiriwong heading into Sunday's final round.
"To have two in the top 3 is exciting," Mowat said, "and of course being atop the team leaderboard makes for an exciting position going into the final round."
In addition to Ball State, this weekend's field includes Dayton, IUPUI, Marshall, Northern Illinois, Northern Kentucky, Oakland, Ohio, Valparaiso, UIC, Western Illinois and Western Michigan.
Players Mentioned
