ORLANDO, Fla. – Three Monarchs shot under par on Sunday as the Old Dominion women's golf team began its spring slate at the UCF Challenge at the par-72, 6,349-yard Eagle Creek Golf Club in Orlando, Florida. The Monarchs sit in a tie for fifth at 6-under 282, ahead of five top-50 teams.
"I'm so happy for our team, what a great day of golf," head coach Mallory Kane said. "It was very rewarding to get contributions from the entire lineup. Everyone felt like their hard work in the weeks leading up really paid off today. We showed a lot of composure and poise from start to finish and that certainly helped our scores. We are excited for another day tomorrow."
Melichova led the way for ODU with a 4-under 68 and a share of sixth place. Starting on the inward nine, she birdied two of her first four holes and was 3-under after nine. After dropping a shot on the sixth, Melichova closed out the round with back-to-back birdies on the eighth and ninth holes. Nine of Melichova's 13 rounds this season have been at or under par. Additionally, the senior from Pikovice, Czech Republic is top of the field in par-3 scoring (-2), and her five birdies are tied for the fifth-most among all players. Melichova currently sits ahead of three golfers ranked higher than her.
Pilar Muguruza carded a season-best 70 (-2) and is tied for 19th. The opening-round 70 marks just the second time that the junior from Mar del Plata, Argentina has shot par or better at ODU. Muguruza fired a 69 in the final round of the Lady Paladin Invitational as a freshman. Sitting at 1-over with six holes to play, she recorded birdies on three of the next four holes. Muguruza was 2-under on Eagle Creek G.C.'s par-4 holes and 1-under on the par-5s. Her five birdies matched Melichova for the fifth-most in the field.
Like Muguruza, Federica Torre finished strong to card a 1-under 71 and sits in a tie for 25th. Torre birdied her opening hole, the par-3 11th, but was 1-over par after nine holes. After five straight pars, the graduate student from Ronco Scrivia, Italy posted back-to-back birdies on the seventh and eighth holes. The 71 on Sunday is Torre's third round below par this season.
Leah Onosato and Sarah Busey both shot 1-over 73s on Sunday and are tied for 51st. Competing as an individual, Elsie Verhoeven opened the tournament with an 80.
On the team leaderboard, the Monarchs are tied with NC State at 6-under 282 and are three strokes behind No. 31 Miami and No. 12 Auburn for third place. ODU leads the field in par-3 and par-5 scoring at 1-under and 6-under, respectively, and are tied with Auburn for the second-most birdies (17).
No. 34 Kentucky leads the way following a 12-under 276 with No. 6 Wake Forest one shot off the Wildcats.
Jensen Castle of Kentucky, the reigning U.S. Women's Amateur champion, shot a 6-under 66 on Sunday and leads the field of 99 individuals. Four players are one shot behind Castle.
ODU Lineup
T6. Jana Melichova – 68
T19. Pilar Muguruza – 70
T25. Federica Torre – 71
T51. Leah Onosato – 73
T51 Sarah Busey – 73
T95. Elsie Verhoeven* –80
*Competing as an individual
Team Leaderboard
1. No. 34 Kentucky – 276
2. No. 6 Wake Forest – 277
T3. No. 31 Miami – 279
T3. No. 12 Auburn – 279
T5. Old Dominion – 282
T5. NC State – 282
7. No. 40 Michigan State – 284
8. Houston – 285
T9. No. 7 Virginia – 286
T9. No. 33 Iowa State – 286
11. No. 22 UCF – 287
12. College of Charleston – 288
T13. Maryland – 291
T13. No. 46 Ohio State – 291
T13. Minnesota – 291
16. Kent State – 292
T17. UNCW – 296
T17. Penn State – 296
Women’s Golf Tied for Fifth after First Round of UCF Challenge
