LINCOLN, Neb. – Newcomer Taylor Slagle shot a second-round 72 in her first day as a member of the Texas A&M – Corpus Christi golf team at the Chip-N-Club Invitational on Monday. Slagle sits in a tie for sixth and senior Ryann White is tied for eighth at the event, while the team is seventh through 36 holes.
The Islanders shot 621 for the first 18 holes, eight shots behind the leader, Redlands Community College (613). SMU sits second at 614, while Iowa is third at 616. The Islanders are a full nine strokes clear of eighth-place Florida Gulf Coast, and Texas A&M – Corpus Christi sits ahead of Southland foes Sam Houston State (10th, 638) and McNeese State (T-12, 646).
"What a start for Taylor as an Islander," head coach Carol Blackmar said. "I couldn't be happier about her performance today – it was impressive. Ryann was her usual, solid self as well. As a team, we need to improve for our final round, but I'm glad that we have ourselves in a position to make a run at the title tomorrow."
After a 78 in the opening round, Slagle trimmed six strokes in the afternoon session to post a 150. White (76-75—151) was just one stroke behind to give the Islanders two individuals in the top 10. In addition to Slagle and White, Lindsay Biehler started with a 160 (78-82), while Krista Fenniak had a 162 (81-81) in her first day with the Islanders. Nikki Dunn (79-84—163) rounded out the scoring.
Following a solid opening-round 78 in her first competition for the Islanders, Slagle was tremendous in the second round. The junior birdied her first hole on 10, but gave a stroke back on 11 with a bogey 6. She followed with eight straight pars, then delivered a birdie three on the second to pull below par. She finished her day with two bogeys and a birdie in her final six holes to shoot a 72, the second best round of any individual on the day.
After an opening round in which she posted three birdies, five bogeys and a double, White was far more consistent over her second 18. For her first nine holes of the round she posted seven pars and two bogeys to sit two over. On the par-4 16th, she dropped in a birdie 3, but followed that with a bogey on the 17th. Pars on the next three holes were followed by another birdie, this one on the third, to put the junior one over. She wrapped up her day with two bogeys and a par to shoot a 75.
After a solid start to the day, Fenniak struggled down the stretch in her opening round for Texas A&M – Corpus Christi, shooting an 81 for the first 18 holes. In the second round, she started out with three bogeys and a birdie in her first five to get to plus-2. A double on 17 and a bogey on 18 put her five over, but she reclaimed a stroke with a birdie on the second. Three bogeys and three pars in her final six holes gave her a second 81 of the day.
Biehler was brilliant at the beginning of the opening round, but finished with four straight bogeys to wrap the first 18 with a 78. Her tough outing continued into the second round, as she started with five bogeys and a double among her opening nine holes. She rebounded with five pars in a row, but came into the clubhouse with bogeys on three of her final four holes to notch an 82 in the second round.
Similarly, Dunn started with a plus-2 through her first 14 holes of work on the day, but a run of three bogeys and a double dropped her back to a 79 in her opening round. The second round saw her post 11 pars, but five doubles proved her undoing as she had an 84 in the second 18.
The Islanders will tee off at 9 a.m. on Tuesday for the final round of the Invitational. Slagle will start on the seventh hole, while White and Biehler begin on the eighth. Fenniak will start her day on nine, while Dunn begins on the back nine on the 10th. The Islanders will be paired with FGCU and Akron for the third round. Live results will be available on GolfStat.com and on Twitter @IslandersGolf.
ISLANDERS INDIVIDUALS
T6 – Taylor Slagle (78-72—150)
T8 – Ryann White (76-75—151)
T35 – Lindsay Biehler (78-82—160)
T44 – Krista Fenniak (81-81—162)
T46 – Nikki Dunn (79-84—163)
