March 26, 2010
By Leigh Torbin
UCFAthletics.com
ATHENS, Ga. (UCFAthletics.com) - Freshman Valentina Fontaine (Santiago, Chile) shot a 75 to tie for fifth place in a loaded field and lead the UCF women's golf team in the opening round of the Liz Murphey Classic at the par-72, 6,335-yard University of Georgia Golf Course in Athens. The strong field includes 12 Top 25 teams amongst its 23 members.
Overall UCF shot a 330 (+42) to tie for 22nd place through the opening 18 holes of competition. No. 4 Duke paced the generally high-shooting field on Friday with a 300 (+12), 10 strokes better than a three-way tie for second place between No. 2 Auburn, No. 13 Purdue and North Carolina's 310 (+22).
Fontaine picked up a birdie on her final hole to cap her three-over-par performance on Friday. Fontaine made the turn at plus-one and was amongst the top golfers in the 120-member field all day long. Amongst the impressive field that Fontaine stands near the top of after 18 holes are 37 of the nation's Top 100 individuals.
UCF's second finisher on Friday was senior Victoria Tomko (Lontzen, Belgium) with an 83. Junior Katie Detlefsen (Eagan, Minn.) and freshman Carolin Pinegger (Marquartstein, Germany) tied for third amongst Knight golfers with an 86 while sophomore Elisa Aoki (Bradenton, Fla.) carded a 90.
The second round will go off at 9 a.m. on Saturday with the final 18 holes set for Sunday morning in Athens.
For the latest news on the Knights, log on to UCFAthletics.com - the official site for UCF varsity sports. The site, which also contains ticket and Golden Knights Club donor information, is also the home of UCF's new online apparel store. Also visit UCFPhotos.com, the exclusive fan source for UCF action sports pictures.
LIZ MURPHEY CLASSIC
UNIV. OF GEORGIA GOLF COURSE * ATHENS, GA.
FIRST ROUND * PAR 72 * 6,335 YARDS
TOP TEAM FINISHERS
1. Duke 300 (+12)
T2. Purdue 310 (+22)
T2. North Carolina 310 (+22)
T2. Auburn 310 (+22)
5. Arkansas 312 (+24)
...
22. UCF 330 (+42)
UCF SCORERS
T5. Valentina Fontaine 75 (+3)
T82. Victoria Tomko 83 (+11)
T104. Katie Detlefsen 86 (+14)
T104. Carolin Pinegger 86 (+14)
T118. Elisa Aoki 90 (+18)