DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Champions in 2003, the Women of Troy sit at the top of the leaderboard after 18 holes at the LPGA International Legends Course. Southern Cal takes a two-shot advantage into Wednesday, with surprising North Carolina and Louisville giving chase. The Trojans have four players back from last years second-place team at Nationals, and have one of the top newcomers in the nation to round out their starting five.
This is not a surprise to see USC leading the way. What is a surprise are the two teams in second place.
North Carolina hasnt won any college event in three years. And how about the Cardinals? In existence since 1999, the Louisville program is making their first ever appearance at the years biggest tournament. They are here enjoying the moment, and their performance on Tuesday shows they are having a blast.
Duke, the two-time defending National Champions are in fifth place, only five shots off the lead. The Blue Devils were led by the countrys best player, Amanda Blumenherst, who opened with a round of 2-under-par 70.
The only player to better Blumenherst was UC Irvines Selanne Henderson. The junior carded six birdies on her way to a first-round 69.
The other big story of the day was the weather. The wind was a major factor for all players, as it seemed to swirl from sun up to sun down.
The top 17 teams are separated by just 12 shots, so a lot remains to be seen for the coming three days. I expect one or two teams to take it low in the morning. We will just have to see what teams might do just that.
Team Results:
1. Southern California +7
T2. North Carolina +9
T2.Louisville, Univ. of +9
4. Stanford +11
5. Duke +12
6. Denver, Univ. of +14
T7. UCLA +15
T7. Georgia +15
T7. Vanderbilt +15
T7. Purdue +15
T7. UC Irvine +15
12. Arizona +16
13. New Mexico +17
T14. Pepperdine +18
T14. Wake Forest +18
T16. Arizona State +19
T16. TCU +19
T18. Brigham Young Univ. +21
T18. Auburn +21
20. Michigan State +22
21. Tennessee +23
22. Oklahoma State +24
23. Alabama, U. of +26
24. Indiana University +32
Individual Results (Top 10):
1. Selanee’ Henderson UC Irvine -3 (69)
T2. Lauren Todd Stanford -2 (70)
T2. Amanda Blumenherst Duke -2 (70)
T4. Stacy Lewis * Arkansas, U. of -1 (71)
T4. Veronica Felibert Southern California -1 (71)
T6. Christel Boeljon Purdue E (72)
T6. Catherine Matranga TCU E (72)
T6. Emily Hoeper Denver, Univ. of E (72)
T9. Amanda Wilson Arizona + 1 (73)
T9. Camille Williams Louisville, Univ. of +1 (73)
T9. Paola Moreno Southern California +1 (73)
T9. Tiffany Joh UCLA +1 (73)
Related Links:
USC Leads Early Louisville Surprises - COPIED
Published May 23, 2007 04:00 PM
