Tigers Struggle in Opening Round of Big 12 Championships
4/23/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
April 23, 2004
Columbia, Mo. - The University of Missouri Women's Golf Squad opened play in the 2004 Big 12 Women's Golf Championships on Friday. The tourney is being played in College Station, Texas, at the par-72, 6,242-yard Pebble Creek Country Club. Mizzou struggled during the opening round, shooting a 311 on the day which put them in 10th place for the Championship. However, the Tigers are only seven strokes out of the top four after the opening day and definitely have the capability to make a run at the leaders over the next two days.
"I think that we came out a little tight and were a bit anxious to start the day," Head Coach Stephanie Cooper said. "We hit the ball well and did some good things, but it didn't translate into low scores for us. We still have a chance to make a run here and I know we are all looking forward to tomorrow's round."
The Tigers were paced by junior Maria Ohlsson, who shot a two-over par 74 on the day. She is currently in a four-way tie for ninth and is only five strokes behind tournament leaders Perry Swenson (Texas, -3, 69) and Annie Thurman (Oklahoma State, -3, 69). After shooting a three-over par 39 on the front, Ohlsson was masterful on the back nine, shooting a one-under 35 which included two birdies.
Sophomores Denise Knaebel and Kelli Strubinger are also both very much in the mix heading into day two of the three-day tournament. Strubinger shot a one-over par 37 on the front, but slipped a bit on the back nine on her way to a five-over par 77. She is in a tie for 28th, just three strokes out of the top 10 heading into the second round. Knaebel is right behind Strubinger in a tie for 32nd after shooting a six-over par 78. Knaebel was also red-hot at the outset of the day, firing a one-over par 37 on the front side. However, the back was not kind to Knaebel as she finished the day with total of 78.
The Tigers continue play in the Championship on Saturday with Round 2 set to tee off at 8 a.m. CST. Live scoring will be provided at www.mutigers.com. For a complete wrap up of Saturday's events, check back to www.mutigers.com late Saturday afternoon.
Individual Leaders Rank Player Rd. 1 Rd. 2 Rd. 3 Total T-1 Perry Swenson (UT) 69 69 T-1 Annie Thurman (OSU) 69 69 3 Brenda Norris (TAMU) 71 71 T-4 Lisa Meldrum (OU) 72 72 T-4 Janice Olivencia (UT) 72 72 T-4 Chelsey Pryor (KU) 72 72 T-9 Maria Ohlsson (MU) 74 72 T-28 Kelli Strubinger (MU) 77 77 T-32 Denise Knaebel (MU) 78 78 T-52 Lyndsey Adams (MU) 82 82 60 Mindy Bullard (MU) 93 93
Team Leader Board Rank Team Rd. 1 Rd. 2 Rd. 3 Total 1 Texas 292 292 2 Texas A&M 294 294 3 Oklahoma 299 299 4 Baylor 304 304 5 Kansas 305 305 T-6 Texas Tech 306 306 T-6 Oklahoma State 306 306 8 Kansas State 308 308 9 Colorado 309 309 10 Missouri 311 311 11 Iowa State 312 312 12 Nebraska 315 315
