Lady Cougars in Fifth After Day One of PBC Championship
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Pine Mountain - Armstrong Atlantic State University sophomore Kristen Sammarco fired a league-record 65 to help the Pirate women's golf team tie for the lead at the first round of the 2012 Peach Belt Conference Championships at the Callaway Gardens Lake View Course on Monday.
Sammarco's six-under-par 65 is the lowest women's golf score in Peach Belt history, regardless of tournament, and she holds a commanding seven stroke lead over Flagler's Elin Karlsson (72) as the only player to break par on Monday. She holed out two eagles in the round, on the par-four 337-yard Hole No. 3 and the par-four, 376-yard Hole No. 17.
Thanks to her record-breaking round, the Pirates as a team shot a school-record 304 to tie with Flagler for the team lead after the first round of action. UNC Pembroke is just two strokes back at 306 with Lander (312) and Columbus State (314) rounding out the top five schools.
Junior Kelly Pearce is tied for eighth individually after a first-round five-over-par 76, while sophomore Jenna Birch is tied for 15th after a first-round 79. Senior Victoria Bennett is in 27th place after a first-round 84, while senior Kim Knox is tied for 33rd after a first-round 87.
The 304 round by the Pirates eclipses the previous record of 305, set at the Mercer Eat-A-Peach Collegiate on Sept. 19, 2011.
The 304 shot by the Saints today was the lowest round by a Flagler team in the two-year history of the championships and broke the school record for a round (305 at Lady Moc Classic second round, Feb. 20, 2012). Only UNC Pembroke shot a better number, 301 (final round of 2011), in the history of the championships.
Karlsson racked up four birdies, three of which came on the front nine. She was 1-under going into the back nine. Victoria Seenath (Toronto, Ontario, Seminole State College of Florida) is in a tie for sixth place with a 4-over 75. Leslie Choucard (Chessy, France, Mercer University) is part of a three-way tie for 10th place with a 6-over 77. Marie Santacroce (Mattituck, N.Y., Mattituck HS), the conference's freshman of the year, is tied for 17th place with a 9-over 80. Nicole Keyser (Cary, N.C., Green Hope HS) completes the Flagler contingent with an 11-over 82 and is tied for 22nd place.
Shauna Walor turned in her best round of the spring season to pace the UNCP women's golf team.
Walor carded a first-round 74 – her lowest round since mid-October – and sits tied for third at the event, while PBC Player of the Year Meghan Moore is tied for sixth after booking a 75 on Monday. Kelly Sumner tallied her best round (77) of the spring as well and is tied for 10th heading into Tuesday, while Jenn Crow is tied for 17th after an opening-round 80 – her best 18-hole score since mid-September. Abby Shipley is tied for 33rd after an opening-round 87.
First team all-conference selection Dana Watkins was a late scratch from the tournament due to injury.
Columbus State's Kristin Galek and Lander's Marian Martins are tied for third in the individual standings after shooting 74. Galek played the back nine one-under with a birdie on 13 while Martins had four birdies on the day, but faltered at 18 with a triple bogey.
North Georgia's Catalina Olarte is tied for eighth after shooting a 75 while Montevallo's Ashlee Beck is 13th after a 78.
The 2012 PBC Women's Golf Championships will conclude with the second and final round on Tuesday at Callaway Gardens. Tee times are set to begin at 9 a.m.
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