Spartans in Ninth After Round One at NCAA East Regional

May 10, 2012

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - The Michigan State women's golf team carded a 12-over 300 in the first round of the NCAA East Regional Thursday at the Penn State Blue Course and sits in ninth place heading into Friday's second round.

The NCAA Women's Golf Championships are divided into three regional sites and conclude with the finals May 23-26 at the Legends Club in Franklin, Tenn. Each regional site hosts 24 teams and six individuals, with the top eight teams and two individuals in each region advancing to the finals. The tournament format is 54 holes over three days.

The Spartans are just one shot back of eighth-place Oklahoma State, and only eight strokes separate the second- through ninth-place teams on the leaderboard.

South Carolina, the No. 8 seed, currently leads the field after shooting an even-par 288.

Michigan State, who was awarded the No. 9 seed after winning its second straight Big Ten Championship, is ahead of third-seeded Duke (302), sixth-seeded Arizona (302) and second-seeded Arizona State (303).

Caroline Powers, Lindsey Solberg and Liz Nagel, the top-three scoring average leaders on the team, all shot a 2-over 74 on Thursday and are tied for 24th.

Powers got off to a rough start with a bogey and double-bogey on her first two holes, but got back on track with 13 pars, two birdies and just one more bogey the rest of the way out.

Solberg also double-bogeyed the par 4 second hole, but birdied the par 5 ninth to close at 38 for the front nine. She shot an even-par 36 on the back nine with seven pars and one birdie against just one bogey to close at 74.

Nagel posted the best front-nine score of any Spartan on Thursday with a 2-under 34. Nagel recorded a birdie on hole No. 1 and No. 9, and in between she delivered seven straight pars. On the back nine, however, Nagel posted a 6-over 40 to finish with a 74.

Allyssa Ferrell rounded out the team scoring with a 6-over 78 (40-38) and is tied for 72nd, while Christine Meier shot an 82 (42-40).

The second round of the NCAA East Regional is set for Friday. The Spartans will tee off from hole 10, along with Oklahoma State and South Carolina, beginning at 11:50 a.m.