TUNICA, Miss. ? After the first 18 holes at the Southeastern Conference Championships at the Tunica National Golf & Tennis Club, the University of Kentucky women?s golf team is ninth. Auburn holds a solid eight-stroke lead with a one-over-par team total of 291, while UK recorded a score of 310. The second of the three rounds will tee off Saturday at 9:30 am. EDT in Tunica, Miss.
A large group of the conference field is bunched together behind the No. 3 nationally-ranked Tigers, with five strokes separating second from seventh place. Tennessee carded an 11-over par 299 for second place, while Georgia and Arkansas are tied for third at 13-over. Alabama and LSU share the fifth spot with a 303 each.
Erin Faulkner leads the Kentucky five with an 18-hole, three-over par, 75. The junior is tied for 14th in the field, while freshman Beth Felts also finished in the top-25, as she tallied a first-round five-over par 77. Individually, Auburn?s Nicole Hage is atop the leaderboard with a three-under-par 69, while Tennessee?s Jessica Shepley sits two strokes behind the leader with a 71.
Sophomore Emily Culbertson fired a first round six-over-par 78 for the Cats. Freshman Elizabeth Dotson, making her first post-season appearance, completed the first 18 holes with an eight-over-par 80, while junior Ali Kicklighter finished the day at 11-over-par.
Tunica National features a 7,210-yard, par 72, 18-hole public golf course, designed by renowned architect Mark McCumber.
TEAM RESULTS
1 Auburn 291 +3
2 Tennessee 299 +11
T3 Georgia 301 +13
T3 Arkansas 301 +13
T5 Alabama 303 +15
T5 LSU 303 +15
7 Florida 304 +16
8 Vanderbilt 308 +20
9 Kentucky 310 +22
10 South Carolina 313 +25
11 Ole Miss 321 +33
12 Mississippi St. 330 +42
TOP INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
1 Nicole Hage Auburn 69 -3
2 Jessica Shepley Tennessee 71 -1
T3 Stacy Lewis Arkansas 72 E
T3 Whitney Myers Florida 72 E
T3 Violeta Retamoza Tennessee 72 E
T3 Carina Sorensen Alabama 72 E
T7 Kimberly Meck LSU 73 +1
T7 Margaret Shirley Auburn 73 +1
T9 Jackie Beers Georgia 74 +2
T9 Kelly Froelich Georgia 74 +2
T9 Maria Martinez Auburn 74 +2
T9 Amanda McCurdy Arkansas 74 +2
T9 Darby Sligh Alabama 74 +2
T14 Erin Faulkner Kentucky 75 +3
T14 Natalia Nicholls Georgia 75 +3
T14 Diana Ramage Auburn 75 +3
T14 Brooke Shelton LSU 75 +3
T14 Kristen Svicarovich Vanderbilt 75 +3
T19 Chris Brady Vanderbilt 76 +4
T19 Katie Davidson Ole Miss 76 +4
T19 Sandra Gal Florida 76 +4
T19 Jessica Lovell Auburn 76 +4
T19 Courtney Mahon Arkansas 76 +4
