CHAPEL HILL, N.C..?The Lady Tar Heel Invitational provided a tough day for the field as players fought off wet conditions in the opening round of play where #33 Kentucky stands in 14th place, yet just five shots out of the top-10.
In a field that consists of 15 of the nation?s top-50 rated teams, no team came away with an under-par score.
?I thought the course played really long today,? said Head Coach Myra Blackwelder. ?It was wet and raining when we got out on the course this morning, but we came out ahead of some really solid teams and we?re still very much alive.?
#18 Wake Forest leads the team leaderboard through 18 holes after compiling a seven-over-par score. Tulsa?s Michaela Cavener paces the individuals after firing a four-under (68) score to lead all players by two strokes.
Once again, the Wildcats were led by junior Mallory Blackwelder who carded a three-over par 75 to open in a tie for 21st place. Blackwelder endured a tough front nine, but fired back with a pair of birdies and covered some ground on the back nine for a strong finish.
Most impressive for the Blue and White was the consistent play of freshmen Louise Ljungstedt and Paige Lausier. The duo fired scores of four-over and five-over respectively.
?I was really pleased with how steady both of our freshmen were all day,? said Blackwelder. ?Louise continues to play well.?
Sophomore Erica Still brought a seven-over-par into the clubhouse. Much like Blackwelder, Still struggled with the opening nine holes, but carded eight pars on the back nine.
?Erica really fought hard on the back nine,? said Blackwelder. ?I was really happy to see her continue to fight and stay focused after struggling to open up.?
Rounding out the scoring for the Wildcats was senior Elizabeth Dotson who shot an opening round of eight-over-par.
Tee times begin at 9 a.m. off of holes No. 1 and 10 tomorrow. Sunday players will tee off at 9:15 a.m. with a shotgun start.
Live results are available at www.golfstat.com and at www.ukathletics.com. Check www.ukathletics.com each day for results and news about the Lady Wildcats at the Tar Heel Invitational.
AGATE?
1.) #18 Wake Forest (295)
2.) Tulsa (296)
3.) #16 Vanderbilt (297); #12 Tennessee (297)
5.) #11 Georgia (298)
6.) Virginia (299)
7.) #7 Auburn (301); #34 North Carolina St. (301)
9.) #2 Duke (302); #40 Texas A&M (302)
11.) #14 Texas (306); #28 Florida State (306); #26 North Carolina (306)
14.) #33 Kentucky (307)
15.) #20 East Carolina (311); #29 South Carolina (311)
17.) College of Charleston (312)
18.) #8 Oklahoma State (314)
Wildcat Scores
T21-Mallory Blackwelder (75 +3)
T32-Louise Ljungstedt (76 +4)
T41-Paige Lausier (77 +5)
T63-Erica Still (79 +7)
T75-Elizabeth Dotson (80 +8)
