Bronchos Tied For 5th In Regional

5/1/2011 5:57:13 PM

Erica Bensch

First Round Standings

AMARILLO, Texas (May 1) – Tough weather conditions made scores soar on the first day of the rugged NCAA Division II West Regional here Sunday, with a rash of double bogeys keeping Central Oklahoma from being higher up the leader board.

The Bronchos came in with an opening-round 321 at the wind-whipped Tascosa Country Club, where temperatures were in the 40s throughout the day. UCO is tied for fifth in the nine-team tournament, but is just three shots out of second.

No. 3-ranked Tarleton State shot a 307, 12 shots ahead of No. 6 St. Edward's and No. 9 Cal State-Monterey Bay. No. 7 Western Washington is at 320, with the 13th-rated Bronchos and No. 5 Grand Canyon at 321.

Rounding out the field is No. 17 Northeastern State (325), No. 12 Sonoma State (327) and No. 19 Nebraska-Omaha (333). Second-round action in the three-day, 54-hole tournament begins at 10 a.m. Tuesday, with the top three teams and top three individuals not with those teams advancing to the national tournament.

Click here to follow live scoring of the tournament.

UCO had eight double bogeys among its four scorers, though the Bronchos were far from alone on a day that saw just 14 of the 49 players in the tournament break 80.

Erica Bensch was the only one to do that for UCO, shooting a five-over 77 that has her tied for sixth in the individual race. The Bronchos also got 80s from Chaney Uhles and Emily Leahey, while Mychael McWhorter shot 84 and Taylor Neidy 88.

“We left some strokes out there, no question about that,” head coach Michael Bond said. “It was tough with the way the wind was blowing, but we're still right in the thick of it and we'll be ready to get after it tomorrow.”

Bensch double bogeyed her second hole before getting a stroke back with a birdie on the par-5 fourth. Bogeys on Nos. 6 and 8 gave the junior a three-over 39 on the front nine and she fell to four-over with a three-putt bogey on the par-3 11th.

A birdie on the par-4 14th got Bensch back to three-over for the day, but she double bogeyed No. 15 before finishing with three straight routine pars for a back-nine 38.

Leahey shot 40-40 on the day with three double bogeys, making a pair of back-nine birdies to help offset that. Uhles also had a pair of 40s and was the only UCO player not to make a double bogey, putting 10 pars and eight bogeys on her card.

McWhorter shot 44 on the front nine before coming in with a 40, thanks to back-to-back birdies on Nos. 12 and 13.

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