April 17, 2014
GREENSBORO, N.C. –
Playing in its first-ever Atlantic Coast Conference Women’s Golf Championship, the University of Notre Dame women’s golf team is tied for fifth following the first day of competition on Thursday, April 17. The Irish are tied with Maryland (No. 84) and Florida State (No. 25) after shooting a 306 (+22) at the Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C.
“This is a very demanding golf course that doesn’t give up much in the way of birdies,” said head coach Susan Holt. “You have to hit quality golf shots and then negotiate the large, undulating, fast greens. It was a tough day that we battled through and ended up okay, and we are in the mix going into the last two rounds. It’s going to be a real battle down to the last shot the final day.”
The three-day event (April 17-19) is being played at the Sedgefield course (6,107 yards, par 71) for the sixth consecutive year. Notre Dame, ranked 54th, was paired with No. 27 North Carolina State and No. 26 Miami on day one. Eight of the 11 teams in the 2014 field are ranked amongst the top 30 teams nationally.
Duke, ranked third nationally and in search of its third consecutive crown, and No. 22 Virginia, top the leader board with a seven-over-par 291. The Miami Hurricanes trail the Blue Devils and Cavaliers by seven strokes and are in third, as they shot a 294 (+14). North Carolina, ranked 21st, is in fourth at 299.
One stroke behind the Irish, Terrapins and Seminoles is No. 12 Clemson as the Tigers shot a 23-over-par 307. North Carolina State trails Clemson by one stroke with a 308 (+24).
No. 18 Wake Forest is in 10th with a 27-over-par 311. Boston College rounds out the field with a 335 (+51).
Sophomore Talia Campbell (Dallas, Texas), the 2013 BIG EAST Championship co-medalist, led the Irish with four-over-par 75. She recorded two birdies and 10 pars throughout the first round and is tied for 14th overall on the leaderboard. Campbell’s two birdies came on the fourth and 13th holes (both four-par holes).
Freshman Jordan Ferreira (University Place, Wash.) had a very consistent round as she was one stroke behind Campbell with a five-over-par 76. Her lone birdie on the day came on the second hole (par four). Her round also included 10 pars and she is in a five-way tied for 22nd.
Junior Kelli Oride (Lihue, Hawaii) finished with a 77 (+6) to record Notre Dame’s third best round of the day. Oride was +2 on the front nine with seven pars. On the back nine, she had four pars and registered a birdie on the 18th, par-five hole to cap a 40 on the back nine. Oride’s only double-bogey of the day came on hole number 14 (par four). She is in a five-way tie for 27th.
Junior Ashley Armstrong (Flossmoor, Ill.) the medalist at the 2012 BIG EAST Championship, finished with a seven-over-par 78. Like Oride, Armstrong’s lone birdie on the day came on the 18th hole. She had nine pars after registering a double-bogey on the first hole and is tied with one other golfer (Jackie Chang of North Carolina)
Senior Kristina Nhim (Cypress, Calif.) finished with a 79 (+8) and is in a four-way tie for 34th.
This year’s event marks the sixth straight time that the ACC Championship is being held at Sedgefield.
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