Florida Gators
Bryan National Collegiate
Women's Golf In Fifth After First Round Of Bryan National Collegiate
Saturday, April 7, 2007 | Women's Golf
A quick start on the opening day of the Bryan National Collegiate propelled the 12th-ranked University of Florida women's golf team to a first-round score of 298 (+10) and a fifth-place standing at the conclusion of Friday's play. UF, which reached as low as five strokes under par as a team during the early stages of the round, will enter the tournament's second day just eight strokes behind leader Purdue.
“We had a great start, and we ended up leaving some shots out on the course at the end of the round, but I was pleased with the way we played today,” Florida head coach Jill Briles-Hinton said. “Our players are very capable of playing at a high level like they did this morning, but we need to get more experience in handling that kind of success. The only way to do that is to keep playing well, so it's a good situation to be in.”
Junior Sandra Gal (Leichlingen, Germany) paced the Lady Gators with an even-par 72 on the day, marking her 11th round at par or better on the season. Opening play in the shotgun format on the par-four ninth, Gal birdied three of her first seven holes to race out to the individual lead. She gave three shots back with bogeys on three of four holes around the turn, but played par golf over her last six to earn a first-round 72. Gal has now recorded six of Florida's last seven rounds at par or better, though Friday's round was just the second time all season that she shot even par for a round.
“Sandra played well today, but she wasn't happy with her effort,” Briles-Hinton said. “Being three under at one point, she felt like she could have shot a lower number than 72. I really like to see a player that isn't happy with shooting even par. It shows how much of a competitor Sandra is and how strong of a desire she has to win.”
Two front-nine birdies helped junior Tiffany Chudy (Miramar, Fla.) post a two-over 74 in the first round, positioning her in a tie for 18th heading into Saturday. Starting her round on the 11th tee and concluding it on the 10th, Chudy played holes 10-18 in one-under fashion on Friday. Junior Whitney Myers (East Berlin, Pa.) finished day one of the Bryan National just 11 places behind classmate Chudy in a tie for 29th after carding a first-round 75 (+3). Myers was one of the catalysts of the Lady Gators' fast start, as she rolled in back-to-back birdies on holes 13 and 14 after beginning her round on the 12th hole. Redshirt sophomore Ornella Jouven (La Ciotat, France) and sophomore Mallory Blackwelder (Versailles, Ky.) will enter the second round in ties for 44th and 51st, respectively, after recording totals of 77 (+5) and 78 (+6) on Friday.
“The girls just need to stay in the process and not get ahead of themselves,” Briles-Hinton said. “We're only eight strokes back, and that's nowhere near out of the tournament. Anything can happen in golf, and we'll look to go a little lower tomorrow to give ourselves the best chance to move up the leader board.”
Purdue will open Saturday with the team lead at 290 (+2), while South Carolina's Jenna Pearson will begin second-round play at 11 a.m. EST with the individual lead after firing a four-under 68 on the opening day. Scoring will be done live on the Internet at www.golfstat.com, and can also be accessed at www.gatorzone.com.
Team Standings Through Round One
| Place | School | Score |
| 1. | Purdue | 290 (+2) |
| 2. | North Carolina | 291 (+3) |
| 3. | Duke | 292 (+4) |
| 4. | South Carolina | 297 (+9) |
| 5. | FLORIDA | 298 (+10) |
| 6. | Virginia | 300 (+12) |
| 7. | Auburn | 301 (+13) |
| 8. | Georgia | 303 (+15) |
| 9. | Tennessee | 305 (+17) |
| 10. | UNC-Wilmington | 306 (+18) |
| 11. | Ohio State | 307 (+19) |
| 12. | Furman | 308 (+20) |
| T13. | Wake Forest | 309 (+21) |
| T13. | Florida State | 309 (+21) |
| 15. | LSU | 311 (+23) |
| 16. | College of Charleston | 312 (+24) |
| 17. | North Carolina State | 314 (+26) |
| 18. | UNC-Greensboro | 316 (+28) |
Individual Top-10 Through Round One
| Place | Player | Score |
| 1. | Jenna Pearson (South Carolina) | 68 (-4) |
| T2. | Stefanie Endstrasser (Purdue) | 70 (-2) |
| T2. | Blair Lamb (Furman) | 70 (-2) |
| T4. | Sydney Crane (North Carolina) | 71 (-1) |
| T4. | Maria Hernandez (Purdue) | 71 (-1) |
| T4. | Leah Wigger (Virginia) | 71 (-1) |
| T7. | SANDRA GAL (FLORIDA) | 72 (E) |
| T7. | Jennifer Pandolfi (Duke) | 72 (E) |
| T7. | Carmen Perez-Narbon (UNC-Wil.) | 72 (E) |
| T7. | Kate Thomas (North Carolina) | 72 (E) |
| T7. | Caroline Westrup (Florida State) | 72 (E) |
Florida Results Through Round One
| Place | Player | Score |
| T7. | Sandra Gal | 72 (E) |
| T18. | Tiffany Chudy | 74 (+2) |
| T29. | Whitney Myers | 75 (+3) |
| T44. | Ornella Jouven | 77 (+5) |
| T51. | Mallory Blackwelder | 78 (+6) |
-UF-
