Troy University Athletics
Troy In Second After Round One
10/27/2008 5:00:00 AM | Golf
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - The weather conditions were not the most ideal conditions one would want in the first round of their last fall golf tournament. With the temperature hovering around 58 degrees all day and the winds gusting to as much as 14 miles per hour, only one golfer was able to break par in the opening round of the Troy University Trojan Invitational Monday morning at Arrowhead Country Club.
"I was very surprised at the scores with the weather the way it was today," Troy coach and tournament host Matt Terry said. "The course is in great shape, but the weather really was not ideal. I was really surprised that someone was able to break par with the conditions, and the average score of all of the players today. It just shows that women's golf, and each player, is getting better."
Jacksonville State's Laura Cutler was the only player to break par, recording a 2-under 70 Monday morning in the opening round. She shot a 34 on the front nine and an even par 36 on the back nine to take the lead. Coupled with a pair of 77s and a 79 from her teammates, Cutler has the defending champion Gamecocks in the lead with a 303 heading into the final round of play Tuesday morning.
Only two strokes behind Jacksonville State is the host team Troy with a 305. Freshman Nikki Crowley continues her hot play this semester in the Trojans final tournament of the fall, shooting an even par-72 in the opening round. It is the second such round for Crowley this season, and has her in second place, just behind Cutler after the opening round.
The round for Crowley almost didn't end at even, as she needed a birdie heading into the 18th hole. After hitting a drive dead center of the fairway, Crowley chose to lay up in the left rough. The freshman then reached into her bag, pulling out her wedge, and hit the ball within 12-feet of the pin. Crowley calmly stepped over the birdie putt and knocked it down, with the ball crawling into the hole for the birdie to finish with a score of 72.
Though Crowley is in second place overall, it is the play of her teammates that have given the Trojans a chance to win the tournament on Tuesday. Kaley Branton is in fourth place, just four shots behind the leader, with a 2-over 74; while Haley Lawrence is in 14th overall with a 6-over 78 in the opening round.
Branton's day turned quickly after her opening holes in which she struggled around the course. She was able to regroup and knock down a couple of big shots and putts to get back into the tournament and work her way into the top five.
"I am extremely proud of her," Terry said. "She had a rough start, but she fought her way through it and played good golf. She finished, our whole team finished, and that is why we have a chance to win the tournament tomorrow. The girls went out and finished on the last four holes of the day to give us a chance."
The other two players playing as Trojan team members, Liz Balkcom and Annelies Anderson, shot 81 and 82 respectively. Balkcom's day took an odd turn on 14, when one of her playing partners, hit an approach shot to the green. The ball apparently hit off a tree and into the rough on the right side of the green. After the trio and a few bystanders looked for the ball, the player from Nicholls State looked up into a tree and found the ball wedged in between the branches. She was able to take a drop and played the ball just short of the green for an easy chip onto the surface.
Of the seven players playing as individuals in the tournament, Danielle Skipper leads the way with an 8-over 80 and is tied for 29th overall. She leads Nicholls State's Emiley Patton by three strokes.
"I am extremely proud of the way the girls played today," Terry said. "To be able to play the way they did with the conditions, and to be able to have a chance to win the last tournament of the fall, say alot. They have earned the right to play for the tournament title tomorrow."
While the Gamecocks and Troy are the top two teams in the tournament, last year's runner-up Nicholls State is in third with an overall score of 310, led by Sofia Joensson with a 3-over 73 in the opening round. The three teams tee off together tomorrow morning around 10 am, with the top three individuals teeing off closer to 10:30 am.
The final round is scheduled to tee of at 8:30 am Tuesday morning, and the weather is calling for the temperature to be 16 degrees colder than it was this morning at Arrowhead Country Club.
