Golfstat
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Fighting Illini women's golf ended the first day of the Boilermaker Spring Classic alone in first place at 1-over (577), today at Ackerman-Allen Course.
The Orange and Blue will enter tomorrow's third and final round with a seven-stroke advantage over second placed Denver. Two Illinois golfers will also enter tomorrow holding spots in the top 5 on the individual leaderboard.
Anna Ritter and Yurang Li are both tied for fourth at 2-under (142). Ritter fired consecutive rounds of 71 (-1), carding five bridies and just two holes of bogey or worse. The junior rolled in three-straight birdies from Nos. 12-14 during the second round. Ritter's 29 pars and par 3 scoring average (2.75, -2) lead the field after 36 holes of play. Li began her day with a round of even par (72) before closing with a 70 (-2). The sophomore tallied seven total bridies, which led the team and was tied for sixth most among the field. Her par 3 scoring average of 2.88 (-1) was tied for the second-lowest mark during the first day of play.
Lexanne Halama is tied for 16th following rounds of 77 (+5) and 70 (-2). The senior surged 30 spots up the leaderboard following her second round, thanks to five birdies, including four in a five-hole stretch from Nos. 11-15.
Victoria Zheng is tied for 23rd after posting rounds of 78 (+6) and 70 (-2). Zheng amassed three birdies during her second round and nearly went bogey free, totaling 14 pars.
Brielle Mapanao is tied for 63rd, recording rounds of 76 (+4) and 79 (+7). Erica Lee, competing individually, is tied for 23rd after consecutive rounds of 74 (+2).
Illinois State's Elise Fennell leads the tournament individually at 6-under (138).
The Fighting Illini will be back in action tomorrow morning, with the third round's shotgun start beginning at 9:00 a.m. CT.
