McNeese Women's Golf in 6th place at SLC Championship

Staff Reports

The Contraband

The first round of the 19th annual Southland Conference Women’s Golf Championship at the Stonebridge Ranch Country Club didn’t go as planned for the McNeese Cowgirls here Monday as the Cowgirls sit in sixth place with a 315 following the first round.

Lamar (299) holds a three shot lead over second place Central Arkansas (302) followed by Stephen F. Austin (305), Texas A&M-CC (309), Houston Baptist (313), McNeese (315), Sam Houston State (317), and Incarnate Word (332).

Three players are tied atop the individual leader board, all posting even par 72’s on the day. Lamar’s Taylor Stockton and Wenny Chang along with SFA’s Jessica White are tied for the lead.

The tournament was scheduled to begin at 8:30 a.m. but was halted 2 ½ hours due to rain and lightening. After the rain, the course condition got a little tougher to play and affected some of the scores.

Senior Dolores Brown and sophomore Hannah Valentine were the only two Cowgirls to break 80. Both players shot a 4 over par 76 and are tied for 11th place.

The 76 for Valentine is her season low round and one off her career low of 75. She posted 75’s at the University of Alabama-Birmingham Fall Beach Blast and the Fred Marx Invitational during the fall season. Valentine made two of the four Cowgirl birdies on the day with her first coming at the par 3, third and the other on the par 5, 12th.

Brown was able to pick up a birdie on the par 4, 15th but gave the shot back on the next hole, the par 5, 16th. She ended her round with two pars.

Sophomore Ashlynn Novak is tied for 24th place after posting a round of 80. Novak recorded one birdie, that coming on the par 4, fifth hole.

Kaitlin Fox and Kennedy Bodfield, who entered the tournament having the Cowgirls’ best scoring average, struggled throughout the opening round.

Fox is tied for 32nd place after with an 83. She was five shots over heading to the 13th before bogeying on each of the last six holes to post a 43 on the back nine.

Bodfield is tied for 37th place with an 85. She posted a 40 on the front nine that included four bogeys. Bodfield dropped nine shots on the back nine to post a 45.

The second round gets underway at 8 a.m. Tuesday and the Cowgirls are scheduled to tee off at 8:45 a.m.