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UNCG’s Uremovich and Taylor 20th after first round at Hooters Women’s Collegiate Team Championship
DAHLONEGA, Ga. – UNCG women's golfers Rachel Uremovich and Courtney Taylor carded an opening round 76 in alternate shot play to sit tied for 20th after the opening round at the Hooters Women's Collegiate Team Championship on Tuesday.
Seven teams found their way under par during the opening round of the Hooters Women's Collegiate Team Championship at Achasta, By Reynolds, while the team of Brooke Pancake and Jennifer Kirby from the University of Alabama took home honors with the low round of the day.
During the opening round alternate shot format, the tandem of Pancake and Kirby from the University of Alabama fired a 4-under-par 68 to sit alone atop the leaderboard. Two birdies in the first three holes sent the Crimson Tide duo off to a 3-under-par 33 for their opening nine holes.
Katelynn Hogenson and Kristin Paulson, both juniors from Iowa State University came in with three birdies and six pars on the back nine to post a 3-under par 69 and sit just one shot off the lead.
Alexandria Buelow and Lauren Cate, representing Stetson University, also sit tied for second and just one shot off the lead after recording a 3-under par 69 with three birdies on the back nine to make their move up the leaderboard.
Courtney Ellenbogen/Stacey Kim from Duke University and Lindsay Danielson/Alyssa Elliot from the University of Wisconsin will both enter the second day of the tournament two strokes off the lead after firing 2-under par 70's during the opening round.
In the race for the lowest NCAA Division II score, Ashland University's Annie Miles and Erin Misheff hold the lead with a 3-over-par 75. Following a double bogey on the opening hole, the pair rebounded to shoot one-over par over the final 17 holes, including a birdie on the par 4 16th hole.
The low Division III round of the day went to Taylor Drenttel and Katie Schenfeld from Gustavus Adolphus University who's 9-over par 81 holds a one shot advantage over Olivet College's Lauren Campbell and Amber Conrad.
All 53 teams return to action on Wednesday morning for the second day of the Hooters Collegiate Team Championship with tee times set to begin at 8:00 a.m. playing in a best ball format.
The format of the championship is Tuesday was alternate shot, Wednesday will be Best Ball, and Thursday will be aggregate score of the two players.
Taylor was the Southern Conference Freshman of the Year and an all-conference selection last season. The native of Gastonia, N.C finished fifth in the league in stroke average at 75.41. She recorded five Top 10 finishes in her rookie season, with four of those coming in her final six tournaments of the year. She finished fifth at the SoCon Championship in April.
Uremovich is a native of Hilton Head, S.C., who sat out this past season as a redshirt after earning all-state all four years in high school. She was the 2006 Carolinas Junior Player of the Year, winning the South Carolina Junior Girls' Match Play Championship and the Twin States' Junior Girls' Championship that year. She played earlier this summer in the Women's Amateur Public Links Championship.
The duo bounced back from a slow start to finish four-over par. A double-bogey at No. 2 and a triple-bogey 8 at No. 4 dug an early hole for Taylor and Uremovich. But three consecutive birdies at Nos. 12, 13 and 14 turned things around and brought the Spartan pair back to the top half of the 53-team field.
Taylor and Uremovich will tee off at 8:27 a.m. on Wednesday and will be playing with Oregon State's Whitney French and Kristina Gargaro.
- UNCG -
