New Orleans – Kate Smith fired the best round of the day with a one-under-par 71 to lead the Nebraska women’s golf team to the top of the leaderboard after the opening 18 holes at the Allstate Sugar Bowl Intercollegiate on Sunday.
Smith, a fifth-year senior from Detroit Lakes, Minn., produced the only round better than par on the 6,280-yard layout at the English Turn Golf and Country Club. She played solid golf from start to finish, notching a birdie on No. 2 and eight pars on the front nine to make the turn at 35 (-1). After a par on No. 10, Smith carded her second birdie of the round on No. 11, but settled for a bogey on No. 12. She closed with pars on the final six holes to complete the round.
Smith’s performance helped the Huskers finish the count-four first round at 294 (+6) as a team. She was supported by strong showings by a pair of Nebraskans. Kirsten Baete, a fourth-year junior from Beatrice, put together a one-over-par 73 to close the day in a tie for fourth on the leaderboard. Baete’s round included three birdies, two bogeys and one double-bogey to go along with 12 pars.
True freshman Lindsey Thiele from Wahoo added a spot in the top 10 after the first round by tying for seventh with a 74 (+2). Thiele led the Huskers with four birdies on the day to go along with six bogeys and eight pars.
Another true freshman, Michaela Vavrova from Bojnice, Slovakia, sits just outside the top 10 in a tie for 13th after an opening-round 76. Graduate transfer Alice Duan managed an opening-round 79 to tie for 44th. Senior Noor Ahmed, who was playing as an individual outside the Husker lineup, rounded out the Nebraska contingent with an 81 to tie for 60th heading to Monday’s second round.
“We put ourselves in good positions off the tee, which gave us lots of opportunities to hit English Turn’s small greens,” Nebraska Coach Lisa Johnson said. “The wind picked up as the day went on, and we did a superb job of executing some tough shots. Lots of steady play from this group today. Sleeping on the lead is the best feeling. There is lots of golf ahead, and our focus is on staying in the present.”
Nebraska owns a two-shot lead over Texas State (296) after 18 holes. The Huskers carry a seven-stroke edge over Big Ten counterpart Rutgers (301), while Chattanooga (303), Louisiana Monroe (308) and the hosts from Tulane (308) round out the top five in the team standings.
Smith holds a one-stroke advantage over Chattanooga’s Beatriz Barrios (72) and Texas State’s Federica Tavelli-Westerlund (72), while Baete, Texas State’s Marine Griffaut and Rutgers’ Maeve Rossi sit two shots off the pace at 73.
Monday’s second round will begin with tee times at 9 a.m. Live scoring will be available through GolfStat.
Allstate Sugar Bowl Intercollegiate
New Orleans, La.
English Turn Golf & Country Club
Par 72, 6,280 Yards
March 14-16, 2021
Team Standings (First Round)
1. Nebraska – 294 (+6)
2. Texas State – 296 (+8)
3. Rutgers – 301 (+13)
4. Chattanooga – 303 (+15)
T5. Louisiana Monroe – 308 (+20)
T5. Tulane – 308 (+20)
T7. Central Arkansas – 310 (+22)
T7. Seton Hall – 310 (+22)
9. Southern Mississippi – 312 (+24)
T10. SMU – 314 (+26)
T10. Wisconsin – 314 (+26)
T10. McNeese State – 314 (+26)
13. Loyola (New Orleans) – 323 (+35)
Individual Leaderboard (First Round)
1. Kate Smith, Nebraska – 71 (-1)
T2. Beatriz Barrios, Chattanooga – 72 (E)
T2. Federica Tavelli-Westerlund, Texas State – 72 (E)
T4. Kirsten Baete, Nebraska – 73 (+1)
T4. Marine Griffaut, Texas State – 73 (+1)
T4. Maeve Rossi, Rutgers – 73 (+1)
T7. Lindsey Thiele, Nebraska – 74 (+2)
T7. Anna Maria-Diederichs, Rutgers – 74 (+2)
T7. Geraldine Wong, Texas State – 74 (+2)
T10. Bobbi Stricker, Wisconsin – 75 (+3)
T10. Daphne Van Son, Chattanooga – 75 (+3)
T10. Jahaanvie Walia, Louisiana Monroe – 75 (+3)
Nebraska Individuals
1. Kate Smith – 71 (-1)
T4. Kirsten Baete – 73 (+1)
T7. Lindsey Thiele – 74 (+2)
T13. Michaela Vavrova – 76 (+4)
T44. Alice Duan – 79 (+7)
*T60. Noor Ahmed – 81 (+9)
*playing as an individual outside Nebraska’s lineup
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