• The Panthers are in third out of six Big South teams after shooting an opening 309
• Freshman Tonrak Tasaso is second in the 36-player field after firing a 75
• HPU wraps up the Big South preview Sunday with 18 holes
NINETY-SIX, S.C. – The High Point University women’s golf team shot an opening round 309 Saturday to sit in third place out of six teams at the Preview at The Patriot at Grand Harbor.
Four of the five HPU student-athletes are within the top-10 of the field, helping to put the Panthers within six shots of the lead heading into Sunday’s final round. The tournament is a fall preview of April’s Big South Championship which will be played at The Patriot.
“I’m very pleased with the way we managed the round today,” head coach Alexis Bennett said. “Having never played the course before, I thought we were much more in control today than we have been for much of the fall. It also was our first round where all five scores were under 80, which has been a key goal of ours since the beginning of the year. Tomorrow, we will look to keep performing at this level to start gaining consistency, momentum and confidence as we head into our offseason.”
Leading the charge for the Purple & White, freshman Tonrak Tasaso is in second place out of 36 golfers after firing an opening round 75. She is within five shots of the individual lead after the opening day of play.
After Tasaso, three Panthers are tied for 10th after shooting 78. The grouping includes junior Cayla Smith and freshmen Samantha Vodry and Tonrak Tasaso. For Kuenzle, it marked the low round of her 2016 fall season.
In addition, senior Danielle Fuss is tied for 15th, carding a 79 in her opening round.
The Panthers return to action Sunday for the final round of their fall season.