Gators in Fourth After Round One of Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic

Friday, March 30

Athens, GA

12:00 AM

Florida Gators

Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic

Gators in Fourth After Round One of Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic

Friday, March 30, 2012 | Women's Golf

The 17th-ranked University of Florida women's golf team shot a first round 286 (-2), good enough for fourth-place after day one of the 2012 Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic in Athens, Ga. The Gators' round of 286 is their best first round effort this spring by eight strokes.

“The team played a very solid round of golf. We have been talking a lot about course management throughout the past couple of weeks, and this course requires a lot of patience and discipline. The entire team executed very well all day, and as a result, we got under par,” said head coach Jan Dowling.

UF was led by freshman Camilla Hedberg (Sitges, Spain), who is tied for third after a first round 69 (-3). Hedberg, a two-time SEC Golfer of the Week in 2012, carded four birdies against only one bogey in the first 18 holes.

“This course requires solid approach shots, which fits right into Camilla's game. She had another very good round today, and I am excited for the next two days for her,” Dowling said.

Joining Hedberg with an under par round was senior Evan Jensen (Belleair, Fla.), who shot a one-under 71. Jensen, tied for 11th after the first round, handed in only one bogey during first round action. Jensen now has six rounds under par this season.

“Evan also had a very solid round of golf, keeping things simple,” Explained Dowling. “She was steady with her entire game, and is keeping her momentum from last week. Evan continues to be a solid rock for our team.”

Junior Mia Piccio (Bacolod City, Philippines) and senior Andrea Watts (Bradenton, Fla.) both shot first round 73's (+1) and both had two birdies against three bogeys. They will enter the second round in a tie for 25th.

“Andrea had a very good comeback, after being 3 over after 5 holes. She showed a lot of patience and confidence in herself,” Dowling said of the senior.

To round out the Gators' lineup, Junior Isabelle Lendl (Goshen, Conn.) shot a five-over 77 after recording 13 pars and five bogeys. Lendl is tied for 61st entering the second round.

Second-ranked Alabama, who held the lead after the first round of the Gator Women's Invitational two weeks ago, takes a six-stroke lead into the second round over host Georgia. Jennifer Kirby, who shot a six-under 66, of the Crimson Tide holds a two-stroke lead over teammate Brooke Pancake.

Tee times begin at 9 a.m. ET tomorrow at the UGA Golf Club.

For live scoring throughout the tournament visit golfstat.com.

Click here for complete pre-tournament notes.

For complete coverage of UF's women's golf program visit GatorZone.com, follow @GatorZoneGolf on Twitter and 'like' the University of Florida Women's Golf page on Facebook.

TEAM LEADERBOARD
PLACE	SCHOOL	TO PAR	SCORE
1	Alabama	-10	278
2	Georgia	-4	284
3	South Carolina	-3	285
4	FLORIDA	-2	286
5	Viriginia	-1	287
T6	Kent State	+5	293
T6	Purdue	+5	293
T8	Florida State	+8	296
T8	Oklahoma	+8	296
T8	Michigan State	+8	296
11	Auburn	+9	297
12	Notre Dame	+13	301
13	Wake Forest	+14	302
14	Denver	+15	303
T15	Missouri	+17	305
T15	Arkansas	+17	305
17	Georgia (B)	+20	308
18	Augusta State	+23	311

INDIVIDUAL TOP-10
PLACE	PLAYER	SCHOOL	TO PAR	SCORE
1	Jennifer Kirby	Alabama	-6	66
2	Brooke Pancake	Alabama	-4	68
T3	Kiara Hayashida	Georgia (B)	-3	69
T3	CAMILLA HEDBERG	FLORIDA	-3	69
T3	Amanda Strang	South Carolina	-3	69
T6	Brittany Altomare	Virginia	-2	70
T6	Emilie Burger	Georgia	-2	70
T6	Katie Burnett	South Carolina	-2	70
T6	Laura Gonzales	Purdue	-2	70
T6	Marta Silva Zamora	Georgia	-2	70