Story Links
LAWRENCE, Kan. – Longwood women’s golf used a strong opening round, on a very difficult course, to power their way into fifth at the Jayhawk Invitational on opening day.
The Lancers placed four golfers in the top 25, with Chiara Wippert, Madison Lehr and Avery Nordman all leading the way.
RESULTS:
Longwood is in fifth following a 302-316—618 (+42) over their first two rounds. The team sits only four shots back of UT Arlington in fourth and five shots back of Wichita State in third.
The Lancers did so behind an opening round 302 that marked the third-best round of the day in the 10-team field. Longwoo was also second-best in the field on Par 3s, and the team finished fourth with 17 birdies.
Wippert led the charge in the opening round behind a consistent approach. She birdied three of her first nine holes to shoot a even-par 72 for the round. She finished the day tied for 21st with a 72-83—155 (+11).
Lehr also put together a solid opening round with a 75 in her Longwood debut. She birdied her final hole of the round. She then followed up with a strong charge in her final nine holes of round two, shooting even par in that stretch. On the day, she finished with a 75-80—155 (+11) that left her tied with Wippert.
Nordman finished the day tied for 21st in her collegiate debut as well. She posted consistent scores, with a 77-78—155 (+11). The freshman had five birdies spread over her two rounds.
Abigail Sheldon was the final Lancer inside the top 25, and she tied for 25th behind an 78-79—157 (+13).
Caroline Tragesser shook off a slow start in her first round with a strong second round in her Longwood debut as well. She posted a 90-79—169 (+25) to finish tied for 48th.
WHAT THEY SAID:
“I loved how strong of a start we had,” said Longwood Head Coach Megan Weaver. “As a team, we were three-under through the first five holes and leading the field. From there, we had some bumps along the way, but I think shooting 302 in our first collegiate round of the year—after only two days of practice—was very commendable. I didn’t have expectations going into the tournament. It’s a new team for us and for many others.”
“The Jayhawks Club is a challenging course—I’ve never seen a 79 course rating before—and we’re playing longer than our typical yardage,” Weaver added. “Chiara had an amazing first round, especially considering she is our shortest hitter. She really grinded and got a lot of up-and-downs to shoot even par.”
“Round two was a bit disappointing,” Weaver said. “Caroline had a good turnaround from the first round. Overall, we had too many double and triple bogeys. The key tomorrow will be keeping it in the fairway. The zoysia rough is super thick and club-grabbing, so that posed the biggest threat today.”
SCORES:
The Jayhawk Club
Par 72 | 6,337 yards
1. ULM: 294-293—587 (+11)
2. Kansas: 297-293—590 (+14)
3. Wichita State: 306-307—613 (+37)
4. UT Arlington: 309-305—614 (+38)
5. Longwood: 302-316—618 (+42)
6. Creighton: 323-306—629 (+53)
7. North Alabama: 317-319—636 (+60)
8. Northern Iowa: 328-311—639 (+63)
9. Alabama State: 333-316—649 (+73)
10. Eastern Illinois: 351-339—690 (+114)
T21. Chiara Wippert: 72-83—155 (+11)
T21. Madison Lehr: 75-80—155 (+11)
T21. Avery Nordman: 77-78—155 (+11)
T25. Abigail Sheldon: 78-79—157 (+13)
T48. Caroline Tragesser: 90-79—169 (+25)
UP NEXT:
Longwood will play the third and final round of the match on Monday, August 25. Live scoring is available at Scoreboard.
