SAINT LEO, Fla. – In the Lions only opportunity of the fall season to showcase their home course, the Saint Leo women’s golf team also put together an impressive day of play in the first round of the 2010 Saint Leo Invitational on a picture-perfect Sunday afternoon at Lake Jovita Golf & Country Club. The Lions first round 318 is 13 strokes behind tournament-leading Florida Southern’s 305 as Saint Leo had three competitors book scores in the 70’s.
Leading the Lions is senior Suzanne Ervin, who carded a 5-over-77 and sits in fifth place after the first 18 holes. Behind her by a single stroke is teammate and fellow senior Jordan Hatch, who used and impressive 37 on the front-nine to keep in the top-10 despite a 41 after the turn. Junior Goeun Lee also sits in the top-10 with a first-round 79, rounding out the trio of Saint Leo women’s golfers in the 70’s after the first 18 holes were in the books.
Junior Tricia Maloney’s 84 and freshman Heather Petronis’s 86 rounded out the Saint Leo five after day one.
Another luxury of hosting a tournament on a beautiful course where one can view the Saint Leo campus from the 11th tee lies in the fact that Head Coach Erika Brennan can allow every member of the Lions’ women’s golf team to compete as senior Kristina Carvalho and sophomore Heather Wengyn also carded scores as individuals.
Carvalho’s first-round 83 has her in 18th overall and ranked second in the group of individuals led by Webber Internationals Mikaela Lyander who shot a first-round 82. Wengyn sits in 49th with an opening round 92.
Overall, fellow Sunshine State Conference school Florida Southern College sits solidly in first place of the 10-team tournament. The Mocs moved into the lead behind Emily Flanigan’s 3-over-75 as she also currently claims the top-spot of the tournament. The Moccasins see three players claim the top two spots in the tournament with Melanie Audette and Silvie Dittertova registering identical 4-over-76 for a second-place tie.
Behind the second-place Lions is Seminole State College with an opening-round 328, two-strokes ahead of fourth-place Barry University (330).
Just a stroke back from Barry, Flagler College (331) rounds out the tournament’s top-five after 18 of 36 holes.
The tournament’s final round will get underway early on Monday morning with tee times based on current results, the first group heading out at 8:10 a.m. The top-three teams after day one will get underway starting at 9:50 a.m. on the first tee of the South Course at the Lake Jovita Golf & Country Club.
