PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas – Carrying the momentum from last event's win, the Central Arkansas women's golf team got off to a white-hot start to the White Sands Invitational on Friday, landing in second after the first round of golf. Led by
Tania Nunez's top-three standing, the Bears end day one with four golfers in the top-15.
Nunez shot out of a cannon to open things up, birdying her first three holes and staying under par the entire first day. The senior maintained her sub-par score all the way through the final hole, capping day one in third place at 1-under 71.
Just behind Nunez was
Madison Holmes, placing fourth at an even 72 through 18 holes. Consistent as could be in round one, Holmes hit par or better on 16 holes, birdying and bogeying two holes to stay level.
Valeria Ramirez also played a spectacular first round, placing sixth after the first day with a score of 2-over 74. With Ramirez in sixth, Central Arkansas was the only school to claim three golfers in the top-six of the field, and one of two universities to have three players in the top-10.
Still inside the top-15 golfers,
Elin Kumlin ended the first round at the Ocean Club Golf Course in 13
th place, playing her way to a 4-over 76. Kumlin started the day in great form, staying at or below par for 11-straight holes through the first round. A couple of strokes behind Kumlin, Pim-orn Thitisup wrapped up day one in 24
th, with an 18-hole score of 6-over 78. Playing as an individual,
Camila Moreno birdied three of her first five holes before ending the day with an 82.
ASUN member Lipscomb is currently in first place, essentially a two-horse race after the first day. Leading the Bears by two strokes, Lipscomb capped off day one at three strokes over par. After Central Arkansas' second-place finish, North Carolina-Greensboro rounds out the top-three, albeit eight strokes behind the Bears. Individually, Lipscomb's Siarra Stout and Lauren Thompson are in first and second, followed by the Bears' Nunez and Holmes.
The Bears are looking for a second-straight top-tier finish, similar to last season, when Central Arkansas took home third-place at the Ozark National Invitational before winning the Little Rock Golf Classic last October. The teams will pick up round two tomorrow, starting at 7 a.m. CT, the second of three days of golf.
