ORLANDO, Fla. – As the snow of another winter storm began to fall across the northeast on Sunday morning, the Penn State women's golf team began its first tournament of the 2020-21 season. Following an opening round 4-under, 284, the Nittany Lions currently sit in sixth place in the 17-team field after less than half the field carded red numbers in the first round.
Seventh-ranked Arkansas leads the field after an opening round 15-under, 273, while Kent State (12-under), Miami (11-under), Wake Forest (11-under) and Houston (8-under) round out the top-5.
The Nittany Lions bested both of their Big Ten counterparts in round one on Sunday as Michigan State (4-over) and Purdue (6-over) are currently 12th and 14th, respectively.
Penn State began the day on the back-nine making the turn in fourth place at 6-under before giving a few shots back on the way in.
"Everyone contributed and played very consistently, and you can't ask for more than that coming out for our first round of the season," mentioned head coach Denise St. Pierre. "I feel our focus during our practice round yesterday, learning the speeds of the greens, was very helpful to us today."
Sophomore Mathilde Delavallade (Royan, France) and senior Megan McLean (Lebanon, N.J.) paced Penn State in the first-round carding identical rounds of 2-under, 70. Delavallade began the day with a bogey-free opening nine and finished with four birdies and just a pair of bogeys.
Both Delavallade and McLean are tied for 14th place on the individual leaderboard as Kent State's Emily Price paces the field after a 7-under, 65.
Junior Sarah Willis (Eaton, Ohio) along with sophomore Isha Dhruva (Katy, Texas) and freshman Victoria Tip-Aucha (Vienna, Va.) each turned in even-par rounds of 72 to round out the team scoring and sit tied for 31st. Willis fired a bogey-free opening nine 2-under, 35, and had just one blemish on her scorecard following a double-bogey on the second hole, her 11th of the day.
Tip-Aucha impressed in her Blue and White debut opening with a 2-under, 35, on her first nine of the day which included an eagle on the par-5, 16th hole, her seventh of the day.
Competing as an individual, junior Taylor Waller (Cannonsburg, Pa.) carded a 3-over, 75, round but finished the day with 14-straight pars after a bogey and double-bogey over her first four holes.
The Nittany Lions are back on the course tomorrow morning for the second round of competition.
FULL ROUND 1 RESULTS
