Jekyll Island, GA -- Day 1 of the Jekyll Island Collegiate, hosted by Oglethorpe College, brought out some of the toughest conditions the Ephs have played through this 2023-24 season. Played on the Indian Mound course at Jekyll Island Golf Club, the tournament hosted 18 teams from across the country and was the Ephs' first tournament of the spring season. Through constant rain and cold wind, the Ephs finished day one in 5th place, shooting a 315, +27. University of Redlands currently holds the lead at 318, +18. On the individual side, Andrea York of the University of Redlands leads, shooting a stellar 73, +1 through some difficult conditions.
Leading the Eph team lineup were first-year Maryanne Grace and sophomore Euna Lee with a pair of 78s, +6. Lee carded a strong birdie on her first hole, and Grace kept level all throughout the day. Following them was first-year Emma Abramson with a 79, +7. The first-year held her ground, carding a great birdie on the difficult par-3 16th. First-year Natalie Cheong came next with an 80, +8, and junior Gio Kim finished the team lineup with an 81, +9.
On the individual side, senior Tianyi Zhuang finished with an 80, +8. Sophomore Victoria Kim followed with an 81, +9, and senior Aishvarya Bedi came close behind with an 82, +10. Rounding out the individual side was sophomore Jackie Lu with an 88, +16. All four individuals carded one birdie on their respective scorecards.
First-year Maryanne Grace remarks, "It was definitely a different course today than it was in the practice round. Rain and wind made the course a lot tougher for everyone, but the team did a good job battling throughout the round."
Eph head coach Tomas Adalsteinsson noted, "It was a tough start to our first spring tournament. We didn't play well today, but unfortunately that happens in golf. How we respond is what matters, and we are excited to have two more days to play."
The Ephs are set to tee off for the second round tomorrow starting at 8:45am. Conditions are likely to be better, but rain and thunderstorms loom towards the early afternoon. Follow along on Golfstat for live scoring.
