DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Emma Bell and
Savanah Satterfield each fired an even-par 72 to lead the Georgia Southern women's golf team into third place after the first round of the Sun Belt Championship Sunday at LPGA International Hills Course.
The Eagles (+4) are three shots ahead of South Alabama (+7) and eight behind second-place Coastal Carolina (-4). Texas State (-10) leads the tournament.
Satterfield and Bell are tied for ninth on the individual leaderboard.
Abby Newton and
Ella Ofstedahl each posted a 74 and are tied for 20th, and
Alberte Thuesen carded a 75 and is tied for 24th. Georgia Southern's 292 team total is the lowest in a round this season.
Georgia Southern started on the 10th hole today, and Bell birdied two of her first three holes on her way to posting a 34 at the turn. She made birdie at hole 3 and notched five straight pars on the front nine to match her lowest round of the season.
Satterfield made six birdies to tie for the tournament lead and posted 35 on the front nine after playing her last 10 holes 2-under. The junior matched her career-best round.
Newton played the front nine clean with a birdie at 3, while both Ofstedahl and Thuesen played the front nine even. The Eagles' 18 birdies as a team are second to Texas State, and GS ranks third in the field in par-5 scoring.
Scores
Team – 292 (+4), 3
Emma Bell – 72 (E), T9
Savanah Satterfield – 72 (E), T9
Ella Ofstedahl – 74 (+2), T20
Abby Newton – 74 (+2), T20
Alberte Thuesen – 75 (+3), T24
Quotables from Coach Emily Kuhfeld
"The team showed a lot of grit and resilience today, keeping good attitudes and a 'one shot at a time' mentality. This is a whole team effort, and there were lots of good things we saw out there today, and a shout out to Emma and Savanah who led the way! We are looking forward to getting back out tomorrow, staying in the moment, playing one shot at a time and adding them up at the end!"
Up Next
The Eagles tee it up on the first hole in round two of the Sun Belt Championship Monday at 8:45 a.m. GS is paired with Texas State and Coastal Carolina.
