With Three 'Cats Atop Individual Standings, NU Leads Hurricane Invite

3/2/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf

March 2, 2015

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	2015 Hurricane Invitational The Biltmore Golf Course • Coral Gables, Fla. • NU's Place: 1st/16 teams BirdieFire.com Scoring • 18-Hole Results

CORAL GABLES, Fla. -- With the top three individuals in the standings after the first round of play Monday at the 2015 Hurricane Invitational all wearing Northwestern purple, the Wildcats have jumped out to an early lead on the 16-team field at The Biltmore Golf Course.

Senior Hana Lee (Hacienda Heights, Calif./Wilson) and junior Kaitlin Park (Tustin, Calif./Beckman) share the 18-hole lead after matching 3-under 68s in Monday's opening round while freshman Hannah Kim (Chula Vista, Calif./Otay Ranch) is in a third-place tie one shot back after carding a 2-under 69.

The defending champion Northwestern squad as a whole carded a 4-under 280, the second-best single-round total in program history. The effort gives the Wildcats a three shot cushion over second-place Louisville entering Tuesday's second round of play.

"It certainly was fun to see us making some putts today," head coach Emily Fletcher said. "We are getting some confidence, but still have some room to tidy up our short game, too."

Northwestern's play Monday marked the first time three Wildcats have been at least 2-under par in the same round since NU set the program record with an 11-under 277 to win the stroke play portion of the 2014 Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic last April. Monday's round at the par-71 track also marked the first time ever in program history that three Wildcats have been in the 60s in the same round.

When the individual leaderboard looks like this, it's been a good team start to the tournament. #B1GCats pic.twitter.com/rrslJbJsFB
-- Northwestern Sports (@NU_Sports) March 2, 2015

Northwestern went out among the first wave of tee times Monday morning, posting its score early in the day and remaining in the lead when the round concluded. Having three Wildcats atop the leaderboard made for a good opening round, but it was one score away from a truly special start to the tournament.

Though Lee made bogey on each of the front nine par 3s, she also carded four birdies on that side to turn in 2-under par. After a bogey at No. 10, she reeled off birdies at Nos. 11 and 14 to help her back to 3-under par and the 18-hole lead alongside Park.

Park caught fire early in her round with three-straight birdies from holes No. 4 through 6, though she eventually gave all of those shots back following a bogey at No. 10. From there, she notched three more birdies over her next five holes to get right back to 3-under par and a share of the lead with Lee.

Lee and Park each made seven birdies apiece in their rounds. As a team, the five #B1GCats in the lineup combined for 24 total birdies Monday.

Kim, meanwhile, started out with a flurry of three birdies and two bogeys in her first seven holes of the tournament. From there, outside of a birdie-bogey-birdie stretch from Nos. 13 through 15, she made par the rest of the way for her 2-under 69 to sit in third, one shot behind her teammates. The total marked her fifth effort in the 60s in 16 total rounds this season.

Northwestern's other two members of the team lineup combined for five birdies, but also had four double bogeys between them in the search for a fourth score for the Wildcats.

Sophomore Kacie Komoto (Honolulu, Hawaii/Punahou) had one bogey and one double bogey on each of her nines in Monday's first round, but she also ended each nine with a birdie. Those circles on the card at Nos. 9 and 18 helped her post a 4-over 75 that places her 39th in the field.

Junior Suchaya Tangkamolprasert (Bangkok, Thailand/Bromsgrove Christian School) turned in 3-over par in the first round after making three bogeys, a double bogey and two birdies in a very adventurous first seven holes of the tournament. The back nine did not fare much better, though she did birdie the last to get back to 6-over 77 on the day, placing her 60th individually.

Freshman Sarah Cho (San Diego, Calif./Torrey Pines) is competing as an individual and shot an opening round 9-over 80.

The second round of the Hurricane Invitational begins tomorrow morning, Tuesday, March 3, at The Biltmore Course.

Northwestern - 1st/16 • 280 (-4)
T1 -- Hana Lee -- 68 (-3)
T1 -- Kaitlin Park -- 68 (-3)
T3 -- Hannah Kim -- 69 (-2)
T39 -- Kacie Komoto -- 75 (+4)
T60 -- Suchaya Tangkamolprasert -- 77 (+6)
T84 -- Sarah Cho * -- 80 (+9)
* Denotes playing as an individual

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