TULSA, Okla. (May 20, 2014) – Despite facing wind gust of over 30 mph, ETSU junior Gabriella Wahl (Heidenheim, Germany) overcame the inclement weather to post a solid score during the first round of the NCAA Women’s Golf Championships Tuesday at the Tulsa Country Club.
Wahl carded a 4-over-par 74 on the opening day of nationals, an effort that placed her in a tie for 28th with three rounds left to play this week. A trio of players shared the early lead after posting scores of 3-under-par 67.
“The wind made it challenging today, but I was lucky to have a morning tee time,” Wahl said. “I made some unnecessary mistake on my 11th and 12th hole of the day, but overall I’m happy with my round and ready to go tomorrow.”
The day started well for Wahl as she opened play on the par 4, No. 10 hole and proceeded to par the first three holes of her round. She then birdied the 13th to get to 1-under-par, but a pair of bogeys on the 14th and the 18th along with a birdie on the par 5, 16th hole left her at even par as she made the turn.
Unfortunately, the back nine started with three straight bogeys and from there she also bogeyed the par 3, No. 6 to finish at 4-over-par on the day.
ETSU assistant coach Lauren Stratton – who is on the trip with Wahl as ETSU head coach Stefanie Shelton is on maternity leave – said Wahl should be pleased with her efforts because of what she overcame to post a round of 4-over-par.
“The winds certainly made it tough out there today,” Stratton said. “But Gabriella was able to hang tough and post a competitive score of 74. There is still plenty of golf to be played, and she has a great game plan for this course. It will be fun to watch her play over the next three days.”
The second, third and fourth rounds will be played over Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Wahl is scheduled to start her day on Wednesday at 12:45 on the first hole. Fans can watch live scoring by visiting Golfstat.com and clicking on the NCAA Championship link, while ETSUBucs.com will also provide a complete wrap up following each day’s play.
Release and photo courtesy of ETSU Sports Information
