MUSCLE SHOALS, Ala.-Lina
Billing fired a 2-over-par 74 to lead the ULM women's golf team in the opening
round of the Sun Belt Conference Championship on the Schoolmaster Course at
Robert Trent Jones at the Shoals. The Warhawks sit in sixth place following
Monday's round and are just six strokes out of second place after
shooting a 306.
Billing, who entered the
clubhouse tied for eighth place, birdied three of her final seven holes and
finished 2-under-par on the back nine. Angela Drane and Lina Lagergren are tied
for 23rd after Monday's opening 18 holes after carding a 5-over-par
77. Drane opened her round with birdies on four and six, but shot a triple
bogey on 17. Lagergren carded a birdie on eight and played even over the final
eight holes of her round.
Britany Hanna shot 3-over on
both the front and back nine to finish the day tied for 32nd following
a 78. Taynee Pearson rounded out the field for the Warhawks with an 81, good for
a tie for 48th position.
Denver, who has won six straight
Sun Belt titles and is ranked 18th in the NCAA, leads by 19 strokes
over Florida International and Middle Tennessee after shooting 7-under-par 281
as a team. Denver's Kimberly Kim leads teammate Ellie Givens and South Alabama's
Claudia Wolf by one stroke for the individual title after shooting a
3-under-par 69.
The second round of the
54-hole tournament gets underway at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday. Pearson will be the
first Warhawk on the course as she begins her round at 8:55 a.m.
Team Standings:
1. Denver 281, T2. Florida
International 300, T2. Middle Tennessee 300, 4. South Alabama 303, 5. UALR 305,
6. ULM 306, 7. Florida Atlantic 307,
8. Troy 308, 9. Arkansas State 309, 10. North Texas 313, 11. Western Kentucky
314
Individual Leaders:
1. Kimberly Kim (Denver) 69, T2.
Ellie Givens (Denver) 70, T2. Claudia Wolf (South Alabama) 70, T4. Kelly Drack
(Denver) 71, T4. Sarah Faller (Denver) 71
ULM Individuals:
T8. Lina Billing 74, T23. Angela
Drane 77, T23. Lina Lagergren 77, T32. Britany Hanna 78, T48. Taynee Pearson 81
