MONROE -- The USCB women's golf team completed the opening round of the Jerry Surratt Memorial Intercollegiate, with McLain Neal leading the Sand Sharks with a strong performance. The team fought through challenging course conditions due to weather across the east coast and positioned themselves for a competitive stretch as the tournament continues after being suspended Monday afternoon due to rain.
McLain Neal posted a 76 (+4), displaying consistency throughout her round. She opened with four consecutive pars before a bogey on the par-3 5th. A par on the 6th kept her steady, but a bogey on the 7th set her back slightly. Closing the front nine with two more pars and a bogey on the 9th, she turned at 38 (+2). On the back nine, she remained steady with pars on the 10th and 11th before a bogey on 12. A birdie on the par-3 13th gave her momentum, but her bogey on 14 was a setback. She recovered well, closing with four straight pars to finish with another 38 on the back, keeping herself in contention.
Florence Phan carded a 78 (+6), demonstrating resilience throughout the round. She started strong with two pars before encountering a bogey on the 3rd. A birdie on the 4th helped her briefly get back to even par, but a double bogey on the 7th was costly. She recovered with two pars before a bogey on the 9th left her with a front-nine 40. The back nine started with a par on 10, followed by a bogey on 11. She regained control with two more pars before another birdie on the par-4 13th. A couple of late bogeys slowed her momentum, but she finished strong with three pars in her final four holes, closing with another 38.
Manon Tortelier shot a 79 (+7), showing flashes of strong play despite a few costly mistakes. After started her round with a par, she bogied the second before rattling off three consecutive pars before a bogey on the 6th. She would add two more bogies to the scorecard along with another par to make the turn with a 40 on the scorecard. On the back nine, she started solidly with pars on the four straight. A bogey on 14 was followed by three consecutive pars before a double bogey ended her round.
Jessica Edwards posted an 83 (+11), battling through a few tough holes while showing flashes of strong play. Caila Giordani finished with an 85 (+13) in a challenging round.
With Neal leading the way, the Sand Sharks will aim to build on their first-round performances and climb the leaderboard. If they can clean up mistakes and capitalize on more birdie opportunities, USCB has the potential for a strong finish in the tournament. The tournament will continue tomorrow, restarting round two and complete 36 holes beginning at 8:30 a.m.
