Soo Endures Tough Conditions in NCAA Round One

NORMAN – Oklahoma women's golfer Julienne Soo endured brutal conditions to complete the first round of the 2017 NCAA Championships in a share of 80th place. The tournament is being played at the par-72, 6,343-yard Rich Harvest Farms course in Sugar Grove, Ill.

Golfers fought through rain, winds chills in the 30s and wind gusts up to 30 mph on Friday, as no one in the elite field finished under par.

Soo, who started on hole No. 10, primarily struggled in her front nine. The sophomore sat at +8 through nine holes but remained steady in her back nine to finish the day at 82 (+10).

“Today was really tough both physically and mentally,” OU Head Coach Veronique Drouin-Luttrell said. “These were the toughest conditions I've ever seen. Between the cold weather, the gusty winds and the rain, the golf course was very challenging. Jules played really solid on the back nine when the conditions were at the toughest. There is a lot of golf left to play, and her game looks solid so we are excited to get back out there tomorrow.”

August Kim (Purdue), Elodie Van Dievoet (Michigan) and Karoline Stormo (Kent State) are in a share of first place at 72 (E).

Northwestern tops the team leaderboard with a 301 (+13), while Kent State is in second at 303 (+15). Ohio State, Arizona State, Stanford and Baylor share third place at 311 (+23).

Soo will tee off for the second round of the NCAA Championships on Saturday at 1:25 p.m. CT. Live scoring and results are available at GolfStat.com.