NORMAN ā A strong finish on the back nine by
Kaitlin Milligan and
Mikhaela Fortuna pushed Oklahoma women's golf into first place through the opening round of the Schooner Fall Classic. Oklahoma fired a 282 (+2) and sits one stroke ahead of Texas with two rounds remaining at the par-70, 6,048-yard Belmar Golf Club in Norman.
After bogeying the 10th hole and returning to even on the day, Milligan finished her round by picking up five birdies over the remaining eight holes. On the day, she birdied four of Belmar's par 3 holes.Ā
Playing in her hometown of Norman, Milligan concluded the day with a 67 (-3) and is in sole possession of second place. She trails Clara Moyano of Mississippi State by one stroke.
Fortuna is one spot behind Milligan after shooting a 2-under 68. Similar to her teammate, Fortuna saw a strong finish to her round. The sophomore carded three straight birdies on holes 14, 15 and 16.
"I'm really proud of the way we fought all day and finished strong," said OU head coach
Veronique Drouin-Luttrell. "We need to continue doing our own thing and play our own game."
Freshman
Maria Fernanda Martinez made her Schooner debut, picking up pars on 16 holes to shoot a 72 (+2). The rookie is tied for 19th place.
Junior
Sydney Youngblood fired a 75 (+5) and sophomore
Libby Winans shot a 76 (+6).
In addition to the five Sooners in the lineup, Oklahoma has three individuals competing throughout the weekend. Junior
Hannah Lee leads the trio with a 71 (+1) and is tied for 13th. Senior
Ellen Secor produced a 74 (+4) and freshman
Linley Ooi shot a 77 (+7) in her first collegiate round.
Oklahoma starts the second of three rounds on Saturday morning at 10:10. The Sooners will be paired with the Longhorns, who are ranked No. 2 in the latest WGCA Coaches Poll, and No. 25 Alabama.
Live scoring will be available on Golfstat.com.
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