With the first round in the books, the No. 28 women’s golf team currently stands in 21st place at the NCAA Championships.
As a team, Oregon shot an opening round 302 (14 over par). Only three teams placed behind the Ducks: No. 17 New Mexico, No. 35 Kent State and No. 30 Tulane.
Riding a wave of momentum after a strong performance at the NCAA Regional, Cheyenne Hickle led the way for Oregon on Tuesday. The freshman shot a first round 71 (one under par), tying for 14th overall. Sophomore Ashley Edwards followed close behind with a 73 (one over par) to earn a tie for 29th.
Meanwhile, senior Kate Hildahl and junior Kendra Little stumbled a bit out of the gate. Both shot opening round 79s (seven over par), and finished the day tied for 108th overall. For Oregon to climb in the standings, both of these normally steady players will have to find a more consistent rhythm.
Three players find themselves at the top of the leader board, each from different schools. Jennifer Johnson of No. 5 Arizona State, Maude-Aimee LeBlanc of No. 8 Purdue, and Jennifer Song of No. 4 USC each shot a 67 (five under par) to tie for the overall lead. Brianna Do of No. 1 UCLA and Kim Donovan of No. 2 Duke, meanwhile, are tied for fourth.
USC also holds a slim lead as a team after shooting a 282 (six under par) on Tuesday. Purdue follows closely behind in second with a 284 (four under par). UCLA finished the day with an even-par 288, tying Duke and Arizona State for third.
Second round play in Wilmington, N.C., begins today.
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