PANAMA CITY, Fla. — Campbellsville's women got off to a slow start early this morning and had a hard time taming The Hombre Golf Club, site of the National Christian College Athletic Association's Women's Invitational.
The Lady Tigers' top four golfers were 25 over par on the outward nine, but battled back to beat that by covering the inward nine in 21 over par, an improvement of four shots. Even so, the Lady Tigers' 334 total is the worst team score this fall for the all-freshman squad.
The mark places CU in eighth place in the nine-team field, one shot ahead of McMurry University and nine shots behind No. 7 North Greenville University.
Dallas Baptist leads the tournament with a 298 team total.
"I think it was a little bit of nerves early for the girls," said Coach Brent Vernon. "We have possibly the youngest team in the field, with five freshmen, and this is a new experience for them.
"I believe that as we move along we'll see improvement from everyone."
Hombre is a 27-hole layout with nines named The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. The course lived up to at least two of those names. CU played The Bad and The Good in its first-round 18 of the 54-hole tournament.
Cassidy Scantland, who was in the day's opening 7:30 a.m. CDT grouping, led CU with a three-over-par 75 (40-35), rallying on the back nine after shooting four over on the front.
Scantland had a double bogey, three bogeys and a birdie on her front nine and carded six pars and two birdies on the back before bogeying the par-five 18th.
Her round places her in a tie for eigthh place with five other women in the 51-player field. Lee University's Courtney Shelton leads the field with a four-under 68. Dallas Baptist's Macie Seeker shot an even-par 72.
Ashley Goodin went out in 39, but stumbled a bit down the stretch to shoot 82 (39-43).
Goodin had a double bogey in her opening-nine 39. On the back nine, however, she carded two double bogeys and bogeyed the last two holes for her 43. Goodin is in 34th place.
Anna Marie Hyatt shot 86 (46-40), but improved significantly her last nine holes even with going three over on her last two holes. She sits in 44th place.
Olivia Parrott shot 91 (44-47), going six over on her last three holes.
Campbellsville's top four were a combined 12 over par on the last three holes.
Grace Gupton was 12 over for 13, her average for an 18-hole round, but she went 10 over on her last five holes for a 94 (47-47).
TEAM SCORES
Dallas Baptist 298; Lee University 301; Point Loma Nazarene 306; Bethel (Ind.) University 313; Oklahoma Christian 313; Shorter University 317; North Greenville University 325; Campbellsville 334; McMurry University 335.
The Lady Tigers are making their second appearance in three years in the NCCAA Women's Championships, Women's Invitational.
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Photos in the gallery by Walt Parrott
