MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – The GRU Augusta women's golf team is currently one stroke behind Purdue for third place in the Minnesota Invitational at the Minikahda Club, after Purdue rallied past the Jaguars to take second behind East Carolina at the conclusion of the opening 36 holes of GRU's first tournament of the year.
The par-72, 6,119 Minikahda Course welcomed the Jaguars, along with tourney host Minnesota, Cal State Fullerton, Colorado, East Carolina, Fresno State, Illinois, Kansas, Kent State, Nebraska, Purdue, SMU, Texas, and Texas State. Sophomore trio Jessica Haigwood, Josefine Nyqvist, and Eunice Yi returned to the starting lineup for the Jags, while redshirt sophomore Teresa Caballer Hernani finally got to compete as a Jaguar. Newcomer Sonya Knebel, a freshman from Germany, earned the start and rounded out the top five.
Sophomores Josefine Nyqvist and Eunice Yi both shot round one 74's (+2) to lead the Jags in their first round of the young season. With a couple of bogeys on her scorecard, Nyqvist cleaned it up towards the end of her back nine and birdied the par-four No. 15 and 17 to get back to two-over heading into her second 18. She was two-over after her second front nine and finished with two more birdies to shoot her second 74 and lead the Jags tied for eighth going into tomorrow.
Yi also had three bogeys in her first round, but nabbed a birdie on the second longest whole of the course, the par-5, 476-yard No. 14 to remain two-over par with a 74. A few bogeys in round two gave her a 75, she sits tied for 11th overall.
Playing in her first NCAA tournament with the Jags after taking a redshirt last season, sophomore Teresa Caballer Hernani shot a round one 77 (+5), highlighted by a birdie on No. 5. Caballer Hernani lost a stroke from her first round to her second, shooting a 76 to sit tied for 25th.
In round one, Jessica Haigwood's three bogeys and one birdie on No. 4 kept her steady through the first round. Round two began more eventful for the sophomore as the she posted back-to-back bogeys and then back-to-back birdies to stay even. Haigwood's round-two 79 (+10) keeps her tied at 31st in the field.
Freshman Sonya Knebel carded an 83 (+11) for her first 18 holes and improved by seven strokes at the conclusion her second round with a 76 (+4). Knebel is tied for 55th. The final 18 holes in round three concludes the Minnesota Invitational tomorrow, Tuesday, Sept. 16.
JAGUAR STARTING LINEUP