April 21, 2003
Columbia, Mo. - The University of Missouri women's golf team is in first place following the opening day of the Big 12 Women's Golf Championship, which began today at the Country Club of Missouri. The Tigers shot an opening-round 304 under chilly and windy conditions, which was good enough for a three-stroke advantage over second-place Texas (307) and a five-stroke lead over defending champion Oklahoma State (3rd - 309). It marks the second time in the last three conference championships that Mizzou has held the lead after the first round. In 2001, MU shot a 319 to lead Oklahoma State by six shots in Harvester, Iowa. Missouri ended up fourth in that tournament which was eventually won by the Cowgirls.
"Our kids really battled and played extremely smart golf," Head Coach Stephanie Cooper said. "We are pleased with the strong start, but we need to maintain our intensity and level of play."
Only 10 shots separate the top six teams after the opening 18 holes of play, as Nebraska stands in fourth place (311), followed closely by Kansas State (5th - 312) and Oklahoma (6th - 314). The Tigers were led by their No. 5 player, sophomore Mindy Bullard (Martinsville, Ind.), who shot a two-over par 74 Monday, and stands tied for second place individually with Sarah Sasse of Nebraska, just one shot behind first-round leader Christi Cano of Texas (1st - 73). Bullard was extremely consistent leading the field with 14 pars on the day.
Mizzou's No. 4 player, freshman Denise Knaebel, also keyed the Tigers' first-day success, as she shot a three-over par 75, and stands alone in fourth place after day one. That effort equaled the second-best outing of the spring season for the Moberly, Mo., native.
Despite an opening round of 40, senior Elin Ohlsson (Vetlanda, Sweden) was solid in the second nine, shooting a 37 for a two-round total of 77, putting her a tie for 11th place and just four strokes off of the lead. Sophomore Maria Ohlsson (Vetlanda, Sweden) is also in the hunt for the Big 12 title, shooting a 78 in the opening round. Freshman Kelli Strubinger (St. Charles, Mo.) rounded out the Tigers' scoring, shooting an 84, good for a tie for 48th overall.
The second round of the Championship will tee off Tuesday morning at 8 a.m. The Tigers will start from the No. 1 tee at 8:50 a.m. and teams will be teeing of from both the first and 10th holes. Live scoring will be provided at www.mutigers.com or at www.golfstat.com. For more information on Missouri Tiger Women's golf, log on to www.mutigers.com.