March 7, 2010

Round 1 Scores in PDF Format

ORANGE PARK, Fla. - The first round of the JMU Eagle Landing started off with a frost for Hailey Koschmann and the Illini women's golf team, but the Illini didn't let that bother its first spring tournament of the season, finishing day one in sixth with a 20-over par round of 308, only nine strokes off the pace of tournament leader Central Arkansas. Koschmann, meanwhile leads the tournament after an opening round 69.

"We left a lot of shots out there, a lot of shots on the green," head coach Renee Slone said. "The team had good ball striking, it was the putting that let us down. Putting was an area we worked on after the round today, so we can try to improve on that tomorrow."

Koschmann started the spring season off with a bang, sinking three birdies in the first four holes and finishing with five birdies overall. Her 69 equals her career low round.

"Hailey had a very good round," Slone said. "She hit 17 greens in regulation. She had a really good start, was feeling a little bit out of her comfort zone, but worked through that and ended with a great round. Even Hailey, though, said that putting was something she could work on."

Sophomore Nora Lucas finished with a five-over 77 for the day and a tie for 21st place.

Rounding out the Illini, sophomore Samantha Sloan and Freshman Crystal Smith each shot rounds of 81 and finished nine over par, while sophomore Katelin Dilger had an 82 and finished at 10-over par.

"I think they learned some things that they can apply tomorrow and go out there and post a lower number," Slone said. "We're looking forward to having a good day tomorrow."

Second round starts tomorrow, March 8, with tee times ranging from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. For continuing coverage check fightingillini.com, including a full recap of the second round. To follow the action live, visit golfstat.com.