The wind which blew consistently at 20 mph and had gusts of up to 30 mph gave the Gulf South Conference women golfers their share of problems in the opening round of the annual 54-hole tournament. The event is being played at the Tunica National Golf and Tennis Club and Union University came on late to fire a +17 total and grab the opening round lead.
Lee University and the University West Florida are tied for second place +18 while the University of Montevallo is fourth +23 and Christian Brothers University rounds out the top five with a +30 in the field of eight teams.
Union’s Audrey Payne did not allow the wind to trouble her. She finished with a 4-under 68. Alia Scotka of West Florida was four strokes back after posting an even-par 72. Lee’s Haley Blevins holds down the third spot after a 2-over 74 and Fabiola DeCespedes (Montevallo) joins Millie Thompson (West Florida) in rounding out the top four with a 3-over 75.
Blevins led the Lady Flames (74) while Olivia Ireland is tied for sixth after her round of 76. Lehane Louis Dumond and Banthita “Pearl” Phoncharatkun are tied for fourth after finishing with 78s. The Lady Flames will begin teeing off at 11 AM (EDT) on Friday.
“I’m really proud of the girls and the way they battled through some tough conditions today. It was extremely windy, a big shift from our calm practice round, but they showed a lot of grit and resilience. We are just one shot back and tied for second right now, which puts us in a great position moving forward. Everyone fought hard and stayed in it all day, nobody gave up, and that’s something you love to see as a coach. It was great to see Haley and Olivia step up and lead the way for us. Not counting Hannah’s score is not something we do very often, and even though today was a tough day for her, I’m confident she will bounce back tomorrow and help us. That gives us a lot of encouragement for the rest of the week.”