Monday, April 12, 2010

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla.. – A surprise leader sits atop the team standings after the first round of the 2010 Atlantic Sun Women's Golf Championships as FGCU leads ETSU by a stroke after Monday's play from Venetian Bay Golf Club.

FGCU, competing in its second A-Sun Championship, set a first-round scoring record with a 6-over 294, breaking Campbell’s mark of 296 set in 2007. Junior Katerina Toomalatai and freshman Briana Carlson each fired even par rounds of 72 to pace the Eagles. The team score looks even more impressive after FGCU finished the round at 5-over par on the course’s four par-5’s. Those holes surrendered 27 birdies to the field in the first round

Read the Atlantic Sun Insider Column associated with the first round here.

The Buccaneers' Laura Jansone, the Medalist at the 2008 A-Sun Championships, carded the lone sub-par round of the day, a 3-under, 69. The senior posted a bogey-free round while recording birdies on No. 8 and back-to-back birdies on No. 16 and No. 17. Jansone, owner the A-Sun Championship scoring record with her 67 in the first round of the 2008 event, turned in just the seventh sub-70 score A-Sun Championship history. As a team, the Lady Bucs played the final three holes at two-under par to close the gap on the Eagles at the end of day one.

In addition to the FGCU duo, three other players finished at even par: Stetson's Alexandria Buelow, Kennesaw State's Jordan Lazenby and Jacksonville's Francesca Yong. One of the top-rated freshmen in the country, Buelow went for five birdies in her first Atlantic Sun Conference championship round.

Kennesaw State, 11 over, and Campbell, 13 over, sit lurking in the team competition while 11 golfers finished the opening round within five strokes of the leader Jansone.

Second round action begins at 8:00 a.m. with USC Upstate’s Johanna Ebenhag and Lipscomb’s Ansley Smith set to strike the day’s opening tee shots. Follow all the action at GolfStat.com.

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The Atlantic Sun Conference is an 11-member league committed to Building Winners for Life. The A-Sun stands for achievement with integrity in both the academic and athletic arenas, with a focus on the balance between the two for our student-athletes. Headquartered in Macon, Ga., the A-Sun boasts six of the top eight media markets in the Southeast. The A-Sun includes a blend of the most prestigious and dynamic private and public institutions in the region: Belmont University, Campbell University, East Tennessee State University, Florida Gulf Coast University, Jacksonville University, Kennesaw State University, Lipscomb University, Mercer University, University of North Florida, University of South Carolina Upstate and Stetson University