Welsh champion Kirsty well


placed at Kiawah Island Classic

Welsh amateur champion Kirsty O'Connor, a student at Ball State University, Muncie in Indiana, was the best placed British/Irish player at the end of the first round in the Kiawah Island Classic women's college tournament, being contested by a huge field of 215 players over two courses and 54 holes.
Kirsty, pictured right, from Burnley, had a three-over-par 75 over the Oak Point Golf Club course (5,907yd, par 72) to be lying joint second, one shot behind leader Nicole Forshner (Central Arkansas) at that venue.
O'Connor, starting at the 10th, bogeyed the 10th and 12th but birdied the long 17th. Disaster befell her at the long first, where she ran up a double bogey 7, followed by a bogey at the second.
But she had back-to-back birdies at the third and fourth before bogeying the sixth and eighth. She finished with a smile on her face, having got a birdie 2 at the short ninth, her last hole.
Also at Oak Point, Laura Cutler from Essex and Portia Abbot from Hertfordshire, both students at Jacksonville State University, scored 77 and 78 respectively. Gemma Hardie (Central Arksansas) from Scunthorpe also hit the 78 mark.
Laura Holmes (Old Dominion) from Ballina, Co Mayo and Channel Islander Olivia Jordan-Higgins (Charleston Southern) both returned 80s at Oak Point.
The Cougar Point course, although measuring 6,009yd, seemed to have the easier par of 72 - the scoring at that venue was generally lower. We shall see if this is a correct assumption when the players switch courses today.
At Cougar Point, Stephanie Connelly (Central Florida), the only player to beat par all day at either course, led the way with a two-under 70.
East Tennessee State team-mates Sinead O'Sullivan from Galway and former Welsh girls champion Lucy Gould from Bargoed scored 74 and 76 respectively.
Sinead had 16 par figures and bogeys at the 15th and sixth (she started at the 10th).
Lucy, also starting at the 10th, bogeyed the 10th but birdied the short 12th. She then had a bad run of bogeys at the 14th and 16th and a double bogey at the 17th to cover her first nine holes in 40. A birdie 2 at the short second was cancelled out but a bogey at the fifth.
Clara Leathers (Middle Tennessee State) from Aylesbury) had a 78.
FIRST ROUND SCOREBOARD
Both courses par 72
OAK POINT
74 Nicole Forshner (Central Arkansas).
75 Rhiannon Loebs (Charleston Southern), Kirsty O'Connor (Ball State).
76 Kate Ackerson (Southern Methodis), Kameron Carter (Longwood).
Selected scores:
77 Laura Cutler (Jacksonville State).
78 Portia Abbott (Jacksonville State), Gemma Hardie (Central Arkansas).
80 Laura Holmes (Old Dominion), Olivia Jordan-Higgins (Charleston Southern).
COUGAR POINT
70 Stephanie Connelly (Central Florida).
72 Mary Kate Bird (Nebraska), Sofia Hagsund (UNC Wilmington).
73 Elisa Aoki (Central Florida), Christy Carter (Oral Roberts), Dori Carter (Mississippi), Jessica Hollandsworth (Maryland), Steffi Kirchmayr (College of Charleston), Nia Muehl (East Tennessee State), Jessica Yadloczky (Florida).
Selected scores:
74 Sinead O'Sullivan (East Tennessee State).
76 Lucy Gould (East Tennessee State).
78 Clara Leathers (Middle Tennessee State).
LEADING TEAMS
300 Miami, East Tennessee State.
303 Oral Roberts.
305 Mississippi.
Field of 43 teams.