Bucknell University Athletics
Bucknell University
Kiawah Island Women's Intercollegiate
Strong Start for Bucknell Women's Golf at Kiawah Island
2/22/2009 7:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
Feb. 22, 2009
KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. -- Terming it one of the best rounds of golf in his nine-year tenure as Bucknell's head coach, Kevin Jamieson's Bison squad opened the 2009 spring season with a 325 team score under difficult, windy conditions on a championship course at the Edwin Watts/Kiawah Island Classic on Sunday.
Led by a 77 from sophomore Katie Jurenovich (Warren, Ohio/Howland), Bucknell sits in 27th place out of 43 teams, the largest field in collegiate women's golf this season.
The round was all the more impressive considering the wind gusts of up to 40 miles per hour, and the fact that Bucknell played the Cougar Point course on Sunday, which was not the course on which it played its practice round. The Bison will play the Oak Point course in Monday's second round, then the top 22 teams will play Cougar Point for the tournament championship on Tuesday, while the bottom 21 teams will be playing Oak Point for a flight championship.
Jurenovich is tied for 35th place out of 215 competitors after making 14 pars in the opening round. She was just 2-over-par through 12 holes.
Also for the Bison, freshmen Kelsey Meybin (Midlothian, Va./Saint Gertrude) and Minjoo Lee (Clarkston, Mich./Clarkston) opened with 81s, and rookie Brittany Rendell (Winnetka, Ill./New Trier) shot 86. Meybin made four birdies in her round, while Lee finished the day with two birdies to give her some momentum going into the second round. After a tough start, Rendell was just 2-over on her second nine holes.
Bucknell is six shots outside the top 22 heading into round two. Toledo and Oregon State are tied for 22nd at 319, followed by Illinois State and Texas State at 320 and Charlston Southern at 322. The Bison outplayed 16 other teams in a field that has 21 teams among the top 100 in the nation according to the Golfweek rankings.
Miami (Fla.) and East Tennessee State both shot 300 on Sunday to take a share of the lead, three shots ahead of Oral Roberts. Central Florida's Stephanie Connelly has the individual lead after opening with a 2-under 70, the only sub-par round of the day.
Bucknell's second-round tee times begin at 11:31 a.m. on Monday at Oak Point.
