MSUB Women's Golf Recap 9/14/15

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT Evan O’Kelly Director of Communications O: (406) 657-2130 E: evan.okelly@msubillings.edu Monday, September 14, 2015 Women’s golf in 9th after opening round at RMAC #1

The Yellowjackets sit in ninth place at their first tournament of the year after the first round of play on Monday.

LONGMONT, Colo. – Finishing the first round of competition in ninth place among the field of 14, the Montana State University Billings women’s golf team completed competition Monday at the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference #1 Tournament at Fox Hills Golf Club.

Playing in their first tournament of the 2015-16 season, the Yellowjackets finished with a team score of 334, five strokes ahead of 10th-place Chadron State University and only two strokes behind three teams tied for sixth place.

“We hit the ball pretty well for the majority of our round, however we did not finish very well on our last three holes,” commented MSUB head coach Shawn O’Brien. “Through 16 holes we were within three or four shots of the lead, and I expect us to come out and play better tomorrow.”

Leading the team and finishing tied for sixth after the first round is freshman Kortney McNeil, who shot a 7-over par 79 in her first career collegiate round. McNeil made par on 10 of her 18 holes, and placed her tee shot within six feet on the par-3 eighth hole to set up a birdie.

Checking in two strokes behind McNeil was sophomore Bailee Dexter, who notched a pair of birdies as well as seven pars en route to an 81. Dexter is currently tied for 14th place.

Also competing in her first ever collegiate round was Shealyn Hafer, who sits in a tie for 36th place after shooting an 85 on Day 1. Hafer made par on half of the holes she played on Monday.

Sophomore Sammy Walter and junior Haley Shackelford are tied for 50th place, as each shot an 89 in the first round.

Freshman Anna DeMars competed as an individual, and finished the first round with an 81 to sit in a tie for 14th place.

Leading the team race after Day 1 is Colorado Mesa University, which shot a team score of 316. CMU’s Naomi Yamada is in a tie for first place along with Sydney Gillespie of Colorado Christian, as both players shot a 4-over 76 in the first round.

“We have a young group of women who are going to learn a lot from their first experience from collegiate golf today,” O’Brien said. “I’m looking for our upperclassmen to lead by example. I feel if we play to our potential, there’s not a team we are playing against that we are not able to beat. However, putting it all together is the key for success.”

The second and final round of action will kick off on Tuesday morning.

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