Furman second at Lady Paladin Invitational

GREENVILLE, S.C. – Nova Southeastern, the top-ranked team in NCAA Division II, carded an opening-round 297 and Appalachian State’s Rumbidzai Masamvu posted a 1-under 71 to grab the first-round lead on Friday in the 41st Lady Paladin Invitational at the par-72, 6,266-yard Furman University Golf Course.

Daniela Ortiz (+1) shot a 1-over 73 to pace four Nova Southeastern golfers at 75 or better as the Sharks fashioned a five-stroke lead over second-place Furman.  The Paladins, led by freshman Valentina Romero’s 2-over 74, finished the day with a 14-over 302.  Chattanooga (+17), Samford (+19) and Mercer (+19) rounded out the top five in the 14-team field.

Masamvu registered five birdies in the opening round and played the par-5s at 4-under to manage a two-stroke cushion over Ortiz.  Romero leads a group of four golfers tied for second place at 2-over while the Paladins’ Stephanie Carlozzi is one of five tied at 3-over par.

Second-round play in the 54-hole tournament is slated to tee off at 9 a.m. on Saturday with Sunday’s final round scheduled for a shotgun start at 9 a.m.

Chattanooga third at Lady Paladin Invitational

GREENVILLE, S.C. – Marion Duvernay carded a career-high seven birdies to lead the Chattanooga Mocs women’s golf team into third after round one of the Lady Paladin Invitational. Chattanooga shot 305 as a team, its second-best opening 18 of the season.

Duvernay had a rollercoaster round. In addition to her seven birdies, she had seven bogeys with three pars and one double-bogey for a 74. She is tied for third, three shots off the lead of Appalachian State’s Rumbidzai Masamvu at 1-under (71).

Jordan Britt and Emily McLennan each shot 4-over par 76s Friday. Both came after tough starts. Britt was 4-over through seven and McLennan plus-6 through 12 before finishing strong.

Britt played her next 10 holes at minus-1 with one birdie and nine pars. A bogey on 18 broke that string. McLennan birdied the par-5 13th and the par-4 18th to join Britt tied for 12th at 4-over.

Porsche Campbell rounded out the team score with a 79 (+7). Isabella Loza is tied for 21st at 5-over (77) playing as an individual.

Nova Southeastern, the top-ranked team in NCAA Division II, is in first after Friday’s 297. Furman is second at 302, three shots clear of Chattanooga. Samford and Mercer are tied for fourth at 307.

It’s a 10:30 a.m. first tee time for the Mocs on Saturday. Mette Kryger leads off of No. 1, followed by Campbell (10:39), McLennan (10:48), Britt (10:57) and Duvernay (11:06). Loza heads off No. 10 at 10:30 playing with the No. 2 players from North Florida and Longwood.

Appalachian State 11^th at Lady Paladin Invitational

GREENVILLE, S.C. – Senior Rumbidzai Masamvu leads the field, carding a 71 (-1) after the opening day of the Lady Paladin Invite at the Furman University Golf Course, as Appalachian State’s women's golf finished round one in 11th place.

Masamvu's five birdies highlighted her opening round, while she finished 4-under on the par-5s for the day. The 71 was the senior's lowest round of the fall season, as Masamvu leads Nova Southeastern's Daniela Ortiz by two strokes heading into Saturday's second round.

The Mountaineers closed out the day after firing a 319 (+31), as senior Yue Xu finished tied for 27th with a 78 (+6). Rounding out the scoring for the Apps were senior Lauren Smith and sophomore Elena Thomas with match 85s (+13). Senior Mimi Burke closed her opening round with an 87 (+15).

Appalachian is currently 22 strokes behind tournament leader, Nova Southeastern, who combined for a score of 297. Following NSU is a trio of Southern Conference members, as Furman (302), Chattanooga (305) and Samford (307) fell in order behind the nation's top-ranked Division II team.

The Mountaineers will be paired up with Rutgers and Savannah College of Art & Design on Saturday beginning at 9:18 a.m. for the second of the three-round invitational.

UNCG 17^th at Landfall Classic

WILMINGTON, N.C. – Sophomore Fanny Cnops posted a 2-over par 74 to lead the UNCG women’s golf team in round one of the Landfall Tradition Friday afternoon at the Country Club of Landfall. The Spartans are 17^th after day one with a score of 325.

The Landfall Tradition has a 17-team field that includes 11 teams nationally ranked in the top 30 by Golfweek.

Round two of the three-day tournament is set to tee off Saturday morning with individual tee times. The Spartans are scheduled to tee off from 8:30-9:10 a.m. on the Jack Nicklaus designed course. The Landfall Tradition is expected to encounter weather surrounding Hurricane Sandy. Updates will be available on golfstat.com with links at www.uncgspartans.com.

Cnops, who is ranked 53rd in the country, sits in a tie for 23rd place overall, seven shots behind No. 26 Kimberly Kaufmann of Texas Tech. No. 16 Oklahoma State leads the stacked field after posting a team score of 292.