Opening Round of E8 Women's Golf Championships
The 2016 Empire 8 Women's Golf Conference Championships got underway on Saturday afternoon at the picturesque 18-hole course at the Country Club of Ithaca. Although overcast skies were present throughout the afternoon, the rain that clouded the forecast held off, allowing all players to complete their opening rounds at the challenging course.
Entering the tournament winners of the last six conference championship team titles, the Bombers sit well positioned entering Sunday's final round, as IC's scoring foursome combined for a 335 (+47) to carry a sizeable 39-stroke lead into round two. Elmira sits in second place heading into Sunday with a 374 (+86), while Utica (420, +132), St. John Fisher (428, +140), and Nazareth (443, +155) round out the field.
Leading the way for the Bombers on Saturday was senior,
Kimberley Wong, who sits in a tie for first place with Elmira's
Audrey Clarke following 18 holes. Wong carded an 82 (+10), but her consistency bodes well for her heading into the final round. She carded no score higher than a six, posting 41 on both the front and back nines. She finished with nine pars on her round.
It was a rough start for Clarke, who was seven-over par after hole No. 5. Clarke then recovered to par the sixth, seventh, and eighth holes, before an outstanding effort on the back nine vaulted her up the standings. She birdied the par-fours on No. 14 and No. 17, and finished the final nine holes with a one-over par 37.
Junior,
Indiana Jones, is right on the leaders' tail, as she carded an 83 (+11) on Saturday. The individual champion at last year's E8 Championships followed a similar trajectory to Wong, as she too enjoyed an even-keel round. She finished with eight pars, marking a 41 on the front and a 42 on the back.
Freshman,
Peyton Greco, continued to establish herself as the Bombers next up-and-coming great player. The rookie got off to a fabulous start to her round with six pars to shoot a 39 on the opening nine, but fell off the pace on the back nine. She finished three shots behind the leaders with an 85 (+13) to currently sit in a tie for fourth-place position overall.
Rounding out IC's scoring group was senior,
Mary Rooker, who joined Greco in firing an 85 (+13) in round one. Like her freshman teammate, Rooker got off to a scintillating start to her round with a 39 on the front nine. She marked a four pars and an excellent birdie on the par-four sixth hole. She battled through the more difficult back nine, but still managed to score her career-low 18-hole score of 85.
Rounding out Ithaca's golfers were juniors
Lauren Saylor and
Kyra Denish. Saylor marked five pars during her round, finishing with an 88 (+16), while Denish also scored five pars on her round to card an 89 (+17). They sit in sixth and seventh place, respectively.
Utica's
Jane Pagano posted a 92 and is currently in eighth place in the individual competition.
Elmira's
Alyssa Ogden and
Giovanna DeLoca round out the top-10 on the leaderboard in ninth and 10th place, respectively. Ogden finished day one with a 93 (+21), with DeLoca sitting one stroke off of her pace with a 94 (+22).
Victoria Maddalone and
Megan Bleck produced the Cardinals top score today as they each shot 102 through 18 holes (+30) placing them in a tie for 11
th overall.
Natalie Farr was the best scorer for Naz on day one with a 104 (+32).
The final round of the Empire 8 Championships is set to get underway tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m.
Team Results – Round One
1. Ithaca – 335 (+47)
2. Elmira – 374 (+86)
3. Utica – 420 (+132)
4. St. John Fisher – 428 (+140)
5. Nazareth – 443 (+155)