PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The Penn State women's golf team opened play at the 2023 Big Ten Championships on Friday morning at Fox Chapel Golf Club in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Nittany Lions carded an opening round 307 (23-over) and currently sit 13th in the 14-team field after the opening round.
"The course played fast today," commented head coach Denise St. Pierre. "We weren't getting our approach shots close enough across the board which cost us some strokes on the greens."
Illinois leads the field at 2-over, six shots clear of Ohio State in second at 8-over. Maryland is currently third at 10-over while Northwestern and Wisconsin are tied for fourth at 11-over to round out the top-5.
On a day where just nine players in the 83-player field recorded scores of even-par or better, senior Isha Dhruva (Katy, Texas) kept her score around par for the majority of her round pacing the Nittany Lions with a 4-over, 75. Dhruva is currently tied for 22nd in the 83-player field.
Sophomore Michelle Cox (Allentown, Pa.) had a solid opening round recording a 5-over, 76, including a team-best three birdies. Cox is currently tied for 33rd entering Saturday's second round.
Senior Sarah Willis (Eaton, Ohio) course corrected herself down the stretch firing an even-par, 36, on the front nine, her second nine of the day after beginning play on the backside, including back-to-back birdies to close her opening 18 holes. The strong finish helped her climb into a tie for 43rd at 6-over, 77, ahead of the second round.
Senior Mathilde Delavallade (Royan, France) concluded the countable scores for Penn State on Friday with an 8-over, 79, while sophomore Drew Nienhaus (St. Louis, Mo.) and senior Taylor Waller (Canonsburg, Pa.) finished the day with score of 80 and 84, respectively.
The Nittany Lions are back on the course tomorrow morning for the second of three rounds with tee times off hole nine beginning at 8:57 a.m. and concluding at 10:07 a.m.
Full opening round results can be viewed HERE.
