October 29, 1999
Release: Upon Receipt
WAKE FOREST TAKES 11-STROKE LEAD IN LADY PALADIN
GREENVILLE, South Carolina -- Just when it looked like the host Lady Paladins were going to have a share of the lead with sophomore Jennifer Perri atop the individual leaderboard, Wake Forest's Maria Beautell fired a two-under 70,taking a one-stroke lead in the individual rankings and staking the unranked Demon Deacons to a 295 team total and 11-stroke advantage in the 29th Annual Lady Paladin Invitational. The 21st-ranked Lady Paladins, the 11th-ranked Tigers of Auburn University, and the seventh-ranked Texas Longhorns each fired a 306 Friday at the 5,902-yard Furman University Golf Course, and are in second with a one-stroke lead over TCU and a three-stroke advantage over the sixth-ranked Bulldogs of Georgia.
Beautell recorded two birdies and a par on the front nine, but was even on the day after a bogey on the par four 10th hole. Birdies at numbers 14 and 15 gave her only the second sub-par round of the day and placed her atop the individual standings with a one stroke cushion. Wake Forest's 295 was made possible by Nuria Clau's 73, Kelly Kirwin's 75, and Marta Prieto's 77, in addition to Beautell's outstanding effort.
Furman was paced by Perri, whose 71 was the first sub-par round on Friday. Auburn freshman Celeste Troche paced the Tigers with an even par 72 and is tied for second individually with UGA senior Shauna Estes. Auburn's other scores on the day included a 77 by Danielle Downey, a 78 by Courtney Swaim, a 79 by Kimberly Strong, and an non-counting 82 by Kami Smith. In addition to Perri's 71 Furman counted 78s by Tara Schultz and Sarah Johnston and a 79 by Brandi Jackson. Freshman Cimmie Shahan's 83 did not count in the Furman total. Texas' scores included a 73 by Kristin Dufour, a 76 by Jessica Reese, a 77 by Laura Blessey, and an 80 by Randi Meadows.
Perri, who started on number 10, bogeyed her first hole, but birdied 12, 13, and 16 to move to two under. A bogey on the 18th put her at one under and a bogey on number two moved her back to even, but Perri birdied number nine to finish the round at one-under. Troche and Estes each recorded three birdies and three bogeys, firing two-under 34 on the front nine and two-over 38 on the back. Both birdied holes two and seven, while Troche's third birdie was recorded on the par three eighth and Estes' came on the par four 12th hole.
Overall, scores on Friday were higher than normal, with no players breaking par. Estes, competing in her fourth Lady Paladin Invitational, believes she knows why. "The greens are really tough. They are hard and fast and you have to be in the right position to be able to make a putt at it. I have had my yardage book since my freshman year and I have made notes about different holes through the years, and that really helped today. By looking at my notes I knew where I needed to be."
Action continues in the Lady Paladin Invitational on Saturday, with tee times starting at 8:00 a.m.