Northwestern Sits in Seventh Place in Season Opener

9/12/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf

Sept. 12, 2011

Event: 2011 Dale McNamara Invitational
Location: Patriot Golf Club • Owasso, Okla.
Result: Northwestern in 7th (15-over 303) after first round
Next Up: Round two gets underway at 8 a.m. CT Tuesday

2011 Dale McNamara Invitational (First Round Team Results)
2011 Dale McNamara Invitational (First Round Individual Standings)
Course Statistics
Combined Results

OWASSO, Okla. -- Northwestern opened the 2011-12 season on Monday with the first round of the Dale McNamara Invitational, trying to keep pace with head coach Emily Fletcher's expectations of garnering at least a top-3 finish in the first outing. All five 'Cats in the lineup individually shot a 79 or better as Northwestern finished the day in seventh place with a 15-over 303.

Starting from the tenth hole on the par-72 Patriot Golf Club in Owasso, Okla., the Wildcats were led on the day by a pair of underclassmen, freshman Hana Lee (Hacienda Heights, Calif./Wilson) and sophomore Devon Brown (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif./Cathedral Catholic). With two birdies to her credit, Lee -- who sits tied for eighth place overall -- finished with a club-best 1-over 73, while Brown -- tied for 19th overall -- finished in second on the Wildcat scorecard with a 3-over 75 with a team-best four birdies.

Brittany Mai (Poway, Calif./Poway) got into the mix with a big splash on her fifth and sixth holes. After registering a double bogey on 12, the freshman bounced back and shot a beautiful eagle on 14 before turning around to birdie 15, bringing her back to just 1-over on the back nine. She would finish the afternoon in third for the 'Cats and in a tie for 31st overall with a 5-over 77.

Northwestern's two core upperclassmen, junior Lauren Weaver (Scottsdale, Ariz./Cactus Shadows) and senior Alex Lederhausen (Hinsdale, Ill./Hinsdale Central), struggled to close out what started as a decent outing for both golfers. Weaver was 1-under after nine holes, but three bogeys and two double bogeys dropped her to a 6-over 78 on the day, good enough for an eight-way tie for 42nd place. Lederhausen was only 1-over after eight holes, but a triple bogey on the 18th hole, followed by three bogeys on the front nine, knocked the senior back to a tie for 50th place with a 7-over 79.

Arizona State stole the show in Monday's round, boasting the tournament's top three performers thus far. The Sun Devils sit in first place after shooting an 8-under 280; a solid 14-stroke lead over the second-place team, Oklahoma State (6-over 294). Middle Tennessee State sits alone in a third place at 10-over, 298. Iowa State and host Tulsa are tied for fourth after shooting 12-over 300. Longwood sits alone in sixth with a 14-over 302, followed by NU (15-over 303) in seventh.

Oral Roberts (16-over 304), Central Florida (20-over 308) and Arkansas-Little Rock (21-over 309) round out the top- 10. Bringing up the rest of the field is Kansas State (23-over 311), Kansas (24-over 312), Southern Mississippi (26-over 314), Arkansas State (27-over 315) and Missouri (32-over 320).

The second round of the Dale McNamara Invitational gets underway at 8 a.m. Tuesday. Live stats can be found for this and future rounds at Golfstat.com.

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