Bronchos Near The Lead

10/5/2009 5:21:20 PM

Ashley Payne

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OKLAHOMA CITY (Oct. 5) – A back-nine surge propelled Central Oklahoma up the leader-board and left the Bronchos in second place after the first day of the Cheddar's/UCO Golf Classic Monday.

UCO knocked eight shots off its front-nine score and had four players in the 70s in finishing with a 300 at the par-70 Lincoln Park East Course to trail leader St. Edward's by three strokes.

Tarleton State is third in the 18-team field at 302, followed by Cameron (306), Dallas Baptist (308) and Midwestern State (308). Final-round play begins at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday.

Cassy Knight and Erica Bensch both shot 74 to lead the Bronchos, while Raelynn Farthing had a 75, Maria Jimenez a 77 and Ashley Payne an 83.

Knight trimmed four shots off her front-nine score with an even-par 35 coming in, Farthing finished with two consecutive birdies in a back-nine 36 and Jimenez shot 39-38. Bensch had nines of 37-37 and Payne, even though her score didn't count in the team format, made an 11-shot improvement with a 47-36.

“We got off to a little bit of a slow start, but really picked it up on the back nine and came in with a nice score,” UCO coach Michael Bond said. “I was proud of the way the girls hung in there and battled. We're in a good position and need to come out tomorrow ready to play.”

Knight and Bensch are tied for eighth in the individual race that has a trio of players leading with one-over 71s and Farthing is tied for 12th.

Knight made the turn at four-over and stayed there with a back nine that saw her make seven pars, one bogey and a two-putt birdie at the par-5 15th hole.

Bensch got off to a shaky start with a double bogey on the first hole, but she bounced back with a birdie on the par-3 second en route to a front-nine 37. The sophomore made two terrific up-and-down pars on the back nine, highlighted by a putt from off the green on the 15th.

Farthing followed a bogey on No. 16 that moved her to seven-over on the day with two closing birdies, hitting it to four feet on the 142-yard par-3 17th and then draining a 25-footer on No. 18.

Jimenez closed her round with three straight pars and Payne recovered from a four-hole stretch that saw her go 10-over to play her last 10 holes at one-over.

UCO also had three players compete as individuals, with Mychael McWhorter shooting 80, Emily Leahey 83 and Mary Sue Sample 86.

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