Women’s Golf Tied for 12th After First Day of NCAA Championship

Freshman Lindsey Solberg fires one-over par 73 to lead the Spartans. EAST LANSING, Mich. – With five golfers who were all making their NCAA Championship

Freshman Lindsey Solberg fires one-over par 73 to lead the Spartans.

EAST LANSING, Mich. – With five golfers who were all making their NCAA Championship debut, the Michigan State women’s golf team finished the first day of the 2009 NCAA Championship on Tuesday in a tie for 12th place with a 19-over par 307. The 2009 NCAA Championship, hosted by Georgetown University, is being played at the 6,443-yard Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, Md.

"I am pleased with how we performed today," said Michigan State head coach Stacy Slobodnik-Stoll. "Lindsey and Laura played two great rounds. The course played tough and challenging, making little mistakes turn into larger mistakes if you weren’t careful."

The Spartans were led by freshman Lindsey Solberg and junior Laura Kueny, who posted opening rounds of one-over par 73 and two-over par 74, respectively.

"Lindsey and Laura were steady the whole day," added Slobodnik-Stoll. "Lindsey was impressive, and Laura made a couple nice birdies and had some key up-and-downs out there."

Solberg, who is in a tie for seventh, had three birdies on the day and played the par-5s at two-under. She opened her day with birdies on the first and third holes, but followed with bogeys on the fourth and sixth. A run of eight-straight pars was interrupted by a bogey on No. 15, before finishing with par-birdie-bogey.

Kueny also had three birdies today and is currently among a group tied for 12th. She played the front nine at two-over but bounced back to play even on the back, including birdies on No. 10 and 13.

Sophomores Michelle Bowles and Aimee Neff both shot eight-over 80 on Tuesday and are tied for 91st. Bowles had birdies on No. 8 and 10, while Neff’s lone birdie came at the 13th hole. Freshman Shannon Warner ended the day at 11-over par 83 and is tied for 112th.

No. 13 Denver holds the day one lead with a six-over par 294, followed by No. 2 UCLA at eight-over 296 and No. 12 North Carolina at 11-over 301. Individually, Denver’s Stephanie Sherlock and North Carolina’s Catherine O’Donnell are tied on top the leaderboard at two-under par 70.

MSU begins Wednesday’s second round at 12:30 p.m. off the 10th hole, paired with Tulane and UC Irvine for the second-straight day.