Feb. 28, 2003
Pinehurst, N.C. – The Notre Dame women’s golf team opened the spring season with a score of 338 after 18 holes of play at the Edwin Watts/Carolinas Collegiate Classic on Friday. The Irish are 29 strokes behind tournament leader Jacksonville State as the Gamecocks turned in an opening-round score of 309. The 54-hole tournament is being played at the par 72, 5,898-yard Pinehurst #8 course.
Jacksonville State goes into Saturday’s second round of play with an one-stroke lead on Alabama-Birmingham. The Blazers shot a 22-over par 310 and have a one-stroke lead over third-place East Carolina (311) in the 20-team tournament. North Carolina-Wilmington is in fourth with a 313 while Georgia State rounds out the top five after shooting a 314. Notre Dame is tied for 17th with Wofford College.
Notre Dame’s top golfer after 18 holes is sophomore Karen Lotta (Los Angeles, Calif.) who is tied for 38th with a nine-over par 81. Lotta had the fourth-best round average in the fall for the Irish with an 80.20.
The sophomore is eight strokes behind tournament leader Jessica Krasny of East Carolina. Krasny fired a first-round score of 73 for the Pirates. Alabama-Birmingham’s Brooke Mangan is one-stroke off the lead with a 74. North Carolina-Greensboro’s leading golfer, Jenny Gleason, is in third place with a 75. Three others are tied for fourth after shooting rounds of 76 on Friday.
Freshman Sarah Bassett (Spokane, Wash.) follows Lotta for the Irish. Bassett is tied for 62nd after opening the tournament with a 12-over par 84. Basset led Notre Dame in the fall with a 77.86 average in 15 rounds of play.
Two of Bassett’s classmates are next for the Irish. Katie Brophy (Fr., Spokane, Wash.) is tied for 81st with an 86 and Lauren Gebauer (Fr., Columbus, Ohio) is tied in 86th place after shooting an 87. Junior Shannon Byrne (Arlington Heights, Ill.) rounds out the Irish contingent with an 89.
Saturday’s second round of play will begin at 8:00 a.m. at the Pinehurst #8 course. The final round will start at 8:00 a.m. on Sunday.
TEAM RESULTS (18-hole totals): 1. Jacksonville State 309; 2. Alabama-Birmingham 310; 3. East Carolina 311; 4. North Carolina-Wilmington 313; 5. Georgia State 314; t6. Memphis 321; College of Charleston 321; 8. Penn State 322; 9. Kansas 323; 10. North Carolina-Greensboro 324; 11. Charleston Southern 327; 12. Augusta State 328; 13. Iowa 329; 14. Elon 330; 15. Coastal Carolina 334; 16. Maryland 337; t17. Notre Dame 338; Wofford College 338; 19. William & Mary 341; 20. Radford 350.
TOP 10 INDIVIDUALS (of 90): 1. Jessica Krasny (East Carolina) 73; 2. Brooke Mangan (Alabama-Birmingham) 74; 3. Jenny Gleason (North Carolina-Greensboro) 75; t4. Katie Futcher (Penn State) 76; Becky Berzonski (North Carolina-Wilmington) 76; Florencia Moran (Jacksonville State) 76; t7. Jennifer Jaszek (Memphis) 77; Yunuen Sanchez (North Carolina-Wilmington) 77; Elizabeth White (Georgia State) 77; Sam White (Georgia State) 77; Marilen F. Ruiz (Jacksonville State) 77.
NOTRE DAME INDIVIDUALS (of 90): t38. Karen Lotta 81; t62. Sarah Bassett 84; t81. Katie Brophy 86; t86. Lauren Gebauer 87; t96. Shannon Byrne 89.
— ND —