March 11, 2011

First Round Results

By Zachary Stipe, Media Relations Assistant

BATON ROUGE, La. - The 16th-ranked Tennessee Lady Vol golf team is tied for ninth among a 21-team field after day one of competition at the LSU Tiger Golf Classic on Friday at the University Club.

Led by junior Nathalie Mansson's 2-over 74, the Big Orange carded a 17-over 305 team score and is deadlocked with Arkansas, just five strokes out of third-place at the par-72, 6.186-yard course.

Mansson, a two-time All-American and native of Stockholm, Sweden, carded three birdies on the revamped University Club links and is tied for 13th. This is the first major tournament held at the course since it was renovated, and despite great weather, the new greens played firm and tough pushing the scores higher.

"Everybody let a couple of shots get away from them today, although we hit the ball pretty well," Lady Vol head coach Judi Pavon said. "We need to say determined and patient tomorrow, and make less mistakes."

Sophomore Sara Monberg had back-to-back birdies on her second (No. 11) and third (No. 12) holes of the day, but finished with a day-one 76 (+4) and in a tie for 29th.

Junior Erica Popson had a pair of birdies en route to a 5-over 77 and a tie-for-41st position, while freshman Chessey Thomas totaled a 6-over 78 in her first tournament of the spring.

Rounding out the Lady Vols was freshman Kaitlyn Rohrback, who tallied a 9-over 81 and is tied for 77th with 36 holes remaining in Baton Rouge.

Both individual leaders - Natalie Sheary, of Wake Forest, and Catherine O'Donnell, of North Carolina - played in Tennessee's group on Friday, as both carded 1-under 71s to shared the top of the leaderboard.

The 17th-ranked Demon Deacons hold a four-stroke lead in the team competition after tallying a 6-over 294. No. 25 Texas A&M sits in second (298), while No. 4 Duke and No. 5 LSU are tied for third (300).

Tennessee will tee off from Hole 1 at 8 a.m. CST in a group with TCU and NC State on Saturday. Live scoring will be provided by golfstat.com.