VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Entering the day tied for 11th in the team standings, Old Dominion women's golf carded a two-over par 282 in the second round of the Evie Odom Invitational on Saturday to jump up to fifth place.
Leading the way for ODU were Puneet Bajwa and Klara Wildhaber, who both carded rounds of two-under 68. That effort moved Bajwa into a tie for third at 138 (-2) and Wildhaber into a tie for 29th (146, +6) heading into Sunday's final round. Both golfers made four birdies each, and Wildhaber bettered her first-round score by 10 strokes.
Lucia Gonzalez shot a two-over 72 on the day and is tied for 14th at 143 (+3). Carley Rudolf is currently tied for 50th with a 36-hole total of 149 and Leiu Yuenyong is tied for 81st with a 161. ODU's individuals are led by Faith Garcia, who posted another round of 74 and is tied for 47th at 148. Sarah Mardani has a score of 150 and is tied for 56th, and Minami Kudo is 80th at 160.
Bajwa, a freshman from Mohali, India, is tied for the lead in par-4 scoring with a 3.75 average and is also second in par-5 scoring at 4.63. Bajwa is up to nine birdies for the tournament, Wildhaber is next on the team with five, and Gonzalez and Garcia lead the Monarchs with 26 putts for par.
As a team, the Monarchs are currently four strokes behind Furman and Chattanooga, who are tied for third at 12-over 572. UCF is the overall leader with a seven-over 567, and Kent State is in second place at 569. The race at the top of the individual leaderboard is tight, with Chattanooga's Makenzie Cooper leading the field at 4-under 136. Kent State's Noramol Nuchsila is right behind her and in second with a 137, and Furman's Anna Morgan is tied with Bajwa.
Tomorrow's final round will be a two-tee start beginning at 8 a.m. The Monarchs are paired with Charleston and Chattanooga and will tee off from the first hole between 8:50-9:30 a.m., while ODU's individuals will start on the 10th hole between 9:50-10:10 a.m.
Team Results
1. UCF (273-294 – 567) +7
2. Kent State (283-286 – 569) +9
T3. Furman (290-282 – 572) +12
T3. Chattanooga (285-287 – 572) +12
5. Old Dominion (294-282 – 576) +16
6. College of Charleston (289-288 – 577) +17
7. East Carolina (291-291 – 582) +22
T8. Sacramento State (291-292 – 583) +23
T8. Coastal Carolina (291-292 – 583) +23
10. James Madison (296-288 – 584) +24
T11. Indiana (287-301 – 588) +28
T11. Notre Dame (298-290 - 588 )+28
13. Missouri (288-304 – 592) +32
14. Penn State (294-303 – 597) +37
15. North Florida (297-303 – 600) +40
ODU Lineup
T3. Puneet Bajwa (70-68 – 138) -2
T14. Lucia Gonzalez (71-72 – 143) +3
T29. Klara Wildhaber (78-68 – 146) +6
T47. Faith Garcia* (74-74 – 149) +8
T50. Carley Rudolf (75-74 – 149) +9
T56. Sarah Mardani* (74-76 – 150) +10
80. Minami Kudo* (77-83 – 160) +20
T81. Leiu Yuenyong (79-82 – 161) +21
*Competing as an individual
Women's Golf Moves Up to Fifth Place at Evie Odom Invitational
