PALM COAST, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) - UCF set a tournament record and holds a six-stroke lead after the first round of the 2017 American Athletic Conference Women's Golf Championship. The first round was played Sunday at the Conservatory Course at Hammock Beach Resort & Golf Club.
The Knights' round of 284 (-6) is the lowest 18-hole total in the four-year history of the American Athletic Conference women's golf championship. Houston, the defending conference champion, held the previous lowest round mark with a 285 set at Hammock Beach's Ocean Course in 2016.
"They don't give trophies away on the first day," UCF head coach Emily Marron said. "But it's always nice to start off strong. We just take it shot by shot, hole by hole. This game is crazy. You never know what's going to happen. So, we really always try to tell them 'Play your best every day and do what you can.' Tomorrow we start all over again."
UCF senior Ashley Holder is tied for third overall after firing a 3-under 69 Sunday. She tallied two birdies on the front nine and three on the back, while carding just two bogeys for the day. Three of her five birdies came on the final seven holes.
"Ashley's always real consistent," Marron said. "We know we can rely on her. She had a slow start, but ... she fought really hard toward the end. I was proud of her finish."
Holder is among a group of Knights golfers in the Top eight after the first 18 holes of play. Kaeli Jones (-2, 70) and Maria Balcazar (-1, 71) are tied for fifth and eighth place, respectively. Jones came into the tournament as UCF's fifth-seeded entrant. But after one round, she's tied for fifth overall.
"Kaeli did great," Marron said. "She played this course this summer. She won the Florida State Amateur here in July, wire to wire. So, we felt comfortable with her coming in that she knows the golf course. She can make a lot of birdies. I'm really proud of her performance."
Johanna Larsson is tied for 17th. Her first-round score of 74 (+2) rounded out UCF's scoring Sunday. Ayaka Nakayama is currently sitting in a tie for 20th with a first-round tally of 75 (+3).
UCF was the only squad to post a team score below par in Sunday's first round. SMU and Houston each tied for second place with a 2-over 290.
Houston sophomore Leonie Harm is the individual leader. Harm's round of 66 (-6) set a new record for an individual low 18-hole total.
The second round is set to begin at 8 a.m. Monday. The Knights will hit the course at 9:40 a.m. Live scoring will be available at the link above.