May 22, 2012

NCAA Championship Results (First Round)

FRANKLIN, Tenn. - No. 17 Baylor is tied for 14th Tuesday after the first round of the 2012 NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championship at the Vanderbilt Legends Golf Course. Baylor, making just its second NCAA Championship appearance in program history, shot a first-round 11-over 299.

No. 2 Alabama was the only team to shoot under-par during Tuesday's first round at 2-under 286 and owns a two-stroke lead over second-place Virginia (even-par 288). No. 8 Duke and No. 6 North Carolina are third and fourth, respectively, while No. 1 UCLA and No. 5 Arizona State are tied for fifth. The Lady Bears are only 13 strokes behind the leading Crimson Tide with 54 holes remaining.

Virginia's Portland Rosen blistered the course with a first-round 66 and holds a one-stroke lead over Purdue's Laura Gonzalez, who's in second at 5-under 67.

In all, only 17 of the field's 126 golfers carded a sub-par first round, including Baylor senior Jaclyn Jansen, who is tied for 12th overall at 1-under 71. After starting 3-over on the first four holes, Jansen carded four birdies over the final 14 holes - including three on the back nine - to finish under-par.

"I'm not terribly disappointed in how we played Tuesday," first-year head coach Jay Goble said, "but I think, obviously, we could have done better. We got our first-round blues out of the way - that seems to be our M.O. these last few months.

"Being 13 shots out of the lead with 54 holes to play, it's doable (to catch the leader)," Goble said. "We're definitely capable of moving up the leaderboard especially with so many teams bunched closely together."

Baylor freshman Hayley Davis, ranked 24th nationally by Golfstat, is tied for 34th overall after a first-round 2-over 74. Fellow freshman Stani Schiavone is tied for 47th at 3-over 75, while seniors Chelsey Cothran and Valerie Sternebeck are tied at 7-over 79 - 104th overall.

"This course is pretty well-suited for Jaclyn," Goble said. "She played well Tuesday. This is a long-hitters course, which is a big advantage for her - just like last week's course (at the NCAA West Regional). I look for her to continue her great play."

The 2012 NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championship continues Wednesday with the second round. Baylor, paired with Virginia and Florida, will tee off No. 10 beginning at 11:53 a.m. CDT. Live scoring will be available at www.golfstat.com.

Follow the official Twitter account for Baylor Women's Golf, @BaylorWGolf, or "Like" Baylor Women's Golf on Facebook.