Ole Miss Women’s Golf in Top 10 After Day One at NCAA Championship

Ole Miss women’s golf sits in a tie for eighth place after 18 holes Friday at the NCAA Championship in Scottsdale, Ariz.
 
“I thought our girls played really well and fought through some tough weather,” head coach Kory Henkes said. “Our back nine was probably one of the best back nines we’ve played all year. It was extremely windy out there with 15 mile-per-hour winds, with gusts up to 25 miles per hour.
 
“We just really stayed patient today. We knew it was tough out there, and we just needed to make sure we were making smart decisions and not getting too greedy. And I think that’s exactly what we did.”
 
Senior Julia Johnson and sophomore Andrea Lignell led the way for Ole Miss during the first day of play at Grayhawk Golf Club, as the duo both shot a 73 (+1) and are tied for 19th place individually.
 
Johnson, playing in her third NCAA Championship as a Rebel, battled back from two bogeys and a double bogey on the front nine. The St. Gabriel, La., native rebounded to card a 2-under on the back nine to come in at 1-over on the day. Her three birdies were a team-best.
 
Lignell had a rough go of it at the start with back-to-back bogeys. But a birdie on the par-5, No. 5 helped sturdy Lignell, who went on to par 12 of the final 14 holes.
 
Kennedy Swann and Chiara Tamburlini registered a 3-over, 75, and are tied for 52nd place. The Rebel duo both tallied four bogies and one birdie on the day. Swann tallied a birdie on the par-3, No. 8, while Tamburlini was just one of five birdies on the day on the par-4, No. 9.
 
Ellen Hume rounded out play for the Rebels. Battling a bicep injury, Hume carded a 13-over, 85.
 
Ole Miss will begin second round of play Saturday morning at 8:30 a.m. CT. The Rebels are once again paired with Wake Forest and Stanford.
 
“Tomorrow will be a quick turnaround. But it’s nice actually because we had a little momentum going from this round, so it’ll be good to get back on the course,” Henkes said. “A lot of the top scores from today were from the morning round, when it was less windy, so hopefully that will work in our favor tomorrow morning.”
 
For the latest news and information about Ole Miss women’s golf, follow the Rebels on Twitter at @OleMissWGolf, on Instagram at OleMissWGolf and on Facebook at Ole Miss Women’s Golf. General athletic news can also be found at @OleMissSports on Twitter, Ole Miss Sports on Facebook and OleMissAthletics on Instagram.

THE REBELS

T4. Johnson: 73 (+1)

T13. Lignell: 73 (+1)

T30. Swann: 75 (+3)

T44. Tamburlini: 75 (+3)

T50. Hume: 85 (+13)

TOURNAMENT LEADERBOARD

1. Texas: 289 (+1)

2. Oregon: 290 (+2)

3. Stanford: 291 (+3)

T4. Arizona: 292 (+4)

T4. Kent State: 292 (+4)

T4. Duke: 292 (+4)

T4. Wake Forest: 292 (+4)

T8. Ole Miss: 296 (+8)

T8. LSU: 296 (+8)

10. Oklahoma State: 297 (+9)

11. Florida State: 298 (+10)

12. Kentucky: 299 (+11)

13. Arizona State: 300 (+12)

14. Michigan State: 301 (+13)

T15. Virginia Tech: 302 (+14)

T15. UCLA 302 (+14)

17. Michigan 304 (+16)

18. Auburn: 305 (+17)

19. Maryland: 306 (+18)

T20. Georgia: 307 (+19)

T20. Southern California: 307 (+19)

T22. Baylor: 308 (+20)

T22. Alabama: 308 (+20)

24. South Carolina: 312 (+24)

Courtesy of Ole Miss Sports