The No. 5 LSU women’s golf team opened up the University Club’s new design in style at the LSU Tiger Golf Classic on Friday, posting a 12-over par 300 team score to end the first round in a tie for third place and six shots back of leader Wake Forest.
The newly-renovated University Club, which was redesigned last year to play more difficult for amateur and collegiate tournaments, challenged the golfers.
The course played to an average of more than 5.3 strokes over par per player for Friday’s round, and only two golfers — North Carolina’s Catherine O’Donnell and Wake Forest’s Natalie Sheary — posted scores below par. Both shot 1-under 71.
Top-ranked senior Megan McChrystal was steady throughout her opening round, carding two birdies and two bogeys to post an even-par 72 that left her in a share of third place and just one shot off the lead.
Junior Tessa Teachman used a late birdie on the difficult 18th hole to card a 3-over par 75 and is tied for 21st.
Freshman Austin Ernst struggled again, as the bogeys piled up in the middle of her round en route to a 5-over par 77.
Junior Jacqueline Hedwall rounded out the scoring for LSU, as she rebounded from mid-round troubles with a steady back nine to fire a 4-over par 76 and keep the Lady Tigers close to the leaders.
No. 4 Duke held the lead for much of the first round before a string of back-nine miscues sent the Blue Devils tumbling down the leaderboard into a tie for third with LSU.
The LSU Tiger Golf Classic resumes Saturday morning when the second round of the 54-hole event gets underway at 8:00 a.m.
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Contact Chris Abshire at [email protected]