Lamar women lead after first day of Southland golf tournament
Published 11:42 pm Monday, April 11, 2016
Lamar sports information
McKINNEY — The Lamar women’s golf team, led by strong efforts from Wenny Chang and Taylor Stockton, hold a three-stroke lead after Monday’s first round of the Southland Conference Championship. The Cardinals are looking for their seventh Southland Conference title and an unprecedented fourth straight crown.
Wang and Stockton each carded even-par rounds of 72 on the 6,251-yard layout of the Hills Course at Stonebridge Ranch Country Club. Wang and Stockton are in a three-way tie for first with Jessica White in the 40-player field. As a team, LU totaled an 11-over-par 299, three shots better than Central Arkansas and six shots in front of Houston Baptist in the eight-team event.
“We put up a great effort today,” LU coach Jessica Steward said. “Personally, I had a lot of fun coaching the ladies during the round. We took a few risks that paid off big time.”
The shot of the day came on the 471-yard, par-5 12th hole when Stockton used a 5-wood to put her second shot to within 3 feet of the cup to set up an eagle. Stockton was steady for her round with 15 pars, two bogeys and an eagle.
Chang led for most of the day thanks to four birdies, but bogeyed the last two holes to fall back into the three-way tie.
LU sophomore Olivia Le Roux is tied for 10th after a first-round 76. Freshman Kura Poko is in a tie for 20th after a 79 that saw her go 4-over-par over the final three holes. LU’s Felicia Sauceda is tied for 28th after an opening-round 82.
“We would have liked to finish stronger, but we are happy with our round,” Steward said. “But we’re still looking to improve in the second round. Everyone had a great attitude and really enjoyed their time on the course.”
That great attitude was needed on a day that saw the start pushed back by 2½ hours due to inclement weather.
The second round of the three-day, 54-hole tournament is scheduled to get under way at 8 a.m. Tuesday. LU, which is paired with Central Arkansas for the second round, starts play at 10:15 a.m.
There is no admission charge for the tournament. Fans will be able to rent golf carts for a fee if they so desire.
About I.C. Murrell
I.C. Murrell was promoted to editor of The News, effective Oct. 14, 2019. He previously served as sports editor since August 2015 and has won or shared eight first-place awards from state newspaper associations and corporations. He was born in Memphis, Tennessee, grew up mostly in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, and graduated from the University of Arkansas at Monticello.
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