March 13, 2008
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - The Illinois women's golf team tallied an opening round 309 (+29) at the par-70 5,907-yard Mark Bostick Golf Course. The Orange and Blue are tied with Michigan for fourth place after day one at the Gainesville Shootout III. The Illini are only eight shots behind tournament-leading Texas State (301).
Freshman Raquel Hopton fired a career-best five-over 75 to lead the Illini, tying her for eighth overall. Hopton finished strong, birdying two of her final four holes. Team stoke leader Seul Ki Park notched an opening round 77 (+7), tying her for 20th. Seniors Kristine Cook and Stephanie Mory carded rounds of 78 (+8) and 79 (+9), tying them for 26th and 28th, respectively. Senior Kristin Kallergis' round of 85 did not count toward the team total and junior Nancy Featherstone withdrew from today's round due to illness.
"We had some pretty good ball-striking overall," head coach Renee Slone said. "It was pretty solid today."
The top-five teams are only separated by eight strokes. Texas State sits in first at 301, while Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Illinois State are tied for second with 18-hole totals of 308. Illinois and Michigan are tied for fourth, rounding out the top five.
Florida's Nicole Schachner and Michigan's Lindsay Davis recorded even-par rounds of 70 to lead the field.
"Everybody had certain aspects that went well for them and certain aspects that weren't quite clicking," Slone said. "Hopefully, we can use today as a learning experience and apply that to tomorrow."
The tournament will continue on Friday, March 14 with a single round beginning at 8:45 a.m. For continued coverage of the Illinois women's golf team at the Gainesville Shootout III, visit fightingillini.com for a full recap following tomorrow's round.
DAY ONE TEAM LEADERBOARD
1. Texas State 301 (+21)
T2. Texas A&M-CC 308 (+28)
T2. Illinois State 308 (+28)
T4. ILLINOIS 309 (+29)
T4. Michigan 309 (+29)
6. West Florida 311 (+31)
7. Louisiana-Monroe 313 (+33)
8. Nevada 314 (+34)
9. Texas Pan-American 315 (+35)
10. Wofford College 316 (+36)
11. Appalachian State 320 (+40)
12. Iowa 321 (+41)
13. Southern Mississippi 322 (+42)
14. Troy 326 (+46)
15. Albany 350 (+70)
DAY ONE ILLINOIS RESULTS T8. Raquel Hopton 75 (+5) T20. Seul Ki Park 77 (+7) T26. Kristine Cook 78 (+8) T28. Stephanie Mory 79 (+9) T65. Kristin Kallergis 85 (+15) WD Nancy Featherstone
