May 8, 2008

EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Michigan State women's golf team completed its first round of action on Thursday at the 2008 NCAA West Regional Championship, being played at the Lincoln Hills Golf Club in Lincoln, Calif. The Spartans, ranked No. 17 by Golfweek/Sagarin and the seventh seed in the regional, opened play with a seven-over par 295 to sit in a tie for sixth.

Sophomore Laura Kueny leads the Spartans after round one with an one-under par 71, to tie her for ninth. Kueny posted three birdies, all within a four hole stretch late in her front nine, and limited her mistakes to only two bogeys.

Senior Sara Brown and junior Holly Niederkohr both posted rounds of one-over par 73 this afternoon and are among a group tied for 25th. Brown, playing in her fourth regional, birdied the third and 12th holes to highlight her round. Meanwhile, Niederkohr, in her third regional, shot an error-free, one-under 35 on the front, and bounced back from three bogeys early in her back nine, to birdie the 17th hole. Her round of 73 was her lowest score of the season.

Senior Jordyn Wells shot a six-over 78 and freshman Aimee Neff tallied a eight-over 80 in their regional debuts. Wells had two birdies, while Neff had one.

Southern California, the No. 1 seed, holds the day one lead with a five-under 283, four strokes up on Tulsa and five ahead of UNLV. USC's Paola Moreno and Arizona's Alison Walshe have the individual lead with four-under 68s.

The top-eight finishers from each of the three regions will advance to the 27th NCAA Championship, held on May 20-23 at the University of New Mexico Championship Golf Course in Albuquerque, N. M.

Live scoring will be available throughout the weekend by clicking here.