NCAA Division 1 women's championship

Ellie Givens has a 73 but Jodi Ewart runs

short of birdies in a first-round 78

Curtis Cup player Jodi Ewart, a student at New Mexico University, has been playing sweetly all season on the US college circuit ... until this week's NCAA Division 1 women's championship at Caves Valley Golf Club - where they've played the Palmer Cup men's students' match in the past - Owing Mills in Maryland.

Jodi, from Yorkshire, had a six-over-par 78 in the opening round of the 72-hole tournament to be eight shots behind joint leaders Catherine O'Donnell (North Carolina) and Stephanie Sherlock (Denver).

Ewart is tied 60th alongside Denver's Sarah Faller from Ireland and Southern California's Spanish ace, Belen Mozo.

Jodi had a double bogey 6 at the 10th in halves of 39. She had only two birdies all day, which is well below her normal capacity to shoot sub-par figures.

US Curtis Cup player and favourite for the title, Amanda Blumenherst, the US women's amateur champion, could not have been all that pleased with herself for returning a75 over the 6,443yd, par-72 course.

Former English girls champion Ellie Givens (Denver), pictured above, from Darlington had a 73 to be a creditable joint seventh.

Former Scotland international Gemma Webster (Ohio State) had an 87 (43-44) to be tied for 121st place in a field of 126.

LEADERBOARD

Par 72, 6443yd

70 Catherine O'Donnell (North Carolina), Stephanie Sherlock (Denver).

72 Ginny Brown (Tennessee), Stephanie Connelly (Central Florida), Nannette Hill (Wake Forest), Jennifer Song (Southern California).

73 Allie Bodemann (Wake Forest), Britney Choy (New Mexico), Ellie Givens (Denver), Stephanie Kono (UCLA), Lindsey Solberg (Michigant State.

Selected scores:

75 Amanda Blumenherst (Duke) (jt 25th).

78 Jodi Ewart (New Mexico), Sarah Faller (Denver), Belen Mozo (Southern California) (jt 60th).

87 Gemma Webster (Ohio State) (jt 121st).