Florida Gators


Northrop Grumman Regional
Lady Gators Off to Strong Start at Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge
Tuesday, February 13, 2007 | Women's Golf
The University of Florida women's golf team opened the 2007 spring season at the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge in Palos Verdes, Calif., with a strong statement, as the No. 21 Lady Gators shot an opening-round 299 (+15) to finish second after the first day of competition in the three-day, 54-hole tournament hosted by Ohio State. Florida trails No. 9 Pepperdine by two strokes, and holds a one-stroke lead over No. 2 Arizona State and Texas A&M after the first 18 holes of play on the par-71, 5,912-yard Palos Verdes Golf Club.
“This is a hard course, but the team kept their heads together and played well. It's easy to lose your confidence on a course that's this difficult - all it takes is one missed putt, one bad chip,” Florida head coach Jill Briles-Hinton said. “I'm proud of the girls for keeping their confidence and persevering through this challenge.”
Junior Whitney Myers (New Berlin, Pa.) and redshirt sophomore Ornella Jouven (La Ciotat, France) led the Lady Gators with first-round scores of 74 (+3), and the tandem is currently tied for 10th.
Myers began the morning with the Lady Gators' lone birdie on the par-4, 360-yard opening hole, but a bogey on the following hole put her at even. She picked up her first extra stroke on the fourth hole, and added an additional stroke on the eighth hole before making the turn at two over. Myers' scorecard reflected flawless play on the back nine until she bogeyed the next-to-last hole.
“Whitney came out strong today. She felt that she was close to breaking through with her game, and to come out here and shoot a 74 on this difficult golf course in her first round of this three-day tournament is very commendable,” Briles-Hinton said.
Jouven played at even through the first four holes before bogeying the long par-5, 475-yard fifth hole and the following par-4, 319-yard sixth hole. She made the turn at three over after bogeying PVGC's eighth hole, and birdied the initial hole on the back nine to drop back to two over. After notching two-straight bogeys on the 12th and 13th holes, Jouven recorded the Lady Gators' first eagle of the spring on the par-4, 399-yard 14th hole, and found herself again at two over. She bogeyed the final hole to end the round with a score of 74.
“Ornella has been steady for us all year. She was stuck in rounds of 75 for a long time, and she needed this low round to see that her hard work in the offseason was paying off,” Briles-Hinton said. “With Ornella scoring in the low 70s, we have five solid players and that's exactly what you need for a successful golf team.”
Junior Tiffany Chudy (Miramar, Fla.) stands one stroke behind Myers and Jouven and is tied for 13th, while junior Sandra Gal (Leichlingen, Germany) and sophomore Mallory Blackwelder (Versailles, Ky.) carded rounds of 76 and 79, respectively, to tie for 19th and 40th places.
The Lady Gators will resume action in the Golden State tomorrow at noon (ET). Live results will be available at www.golfstat.com and www.gatorzone.com.
Team Leaderboard
1 | +13 | 297 | |
2 | +15 | 299 | |
T3 | +16 | 300 | |
T3 | +16 | 300 | |
5 | +17 | 301 | |
6 | +20 | 304 | |
7 | +21 | 305 | |
T8 | +23 | 307 | |
T8 | +23 | 307 | |
10 | +30 | 314 | |
11 | +31 | 315 | |
12 | +32 | 316 | |
13 | +34 | 318 | |
14 | +36 | 320 | |
15 | +38 | 322 |
Top-10 Individuals
1 | 69 | ||
2 | 70 | ||
T3 | 71 | ||
T3 | 71 | ||
T5 | 72 | ||
T5 | 72 | ||
T7 | 73 | ||
T7 | 73 | ||
T7 | 73 | ||
T10 | 74 | ||
T10 | 74 | ||
T10 | 74 |
Lady Gator Results
T10 | Ornella Jouven | |
T10 | Whitney Myers | 74 |
T13 | Tiffany Chudy | 75 |
T19 | Sandra Gal | 76 |
T40 | Mallory Blackwelder | 79 |
-UF-