Lady Vols start 'OK' for 12th in NCAA golf

Tennessee's women emerged from the opening round of the NCAA golf championship squarely in the middle of the pack.

A 19-over-par performance Tuesday placed the Lady Vols in a tie with Michigan State for 12th place in a 24-team field at Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, Md.

Ginny Brown shot par at 72 to lead Tennessee to a 307 total, 13 strokes behind leader Denver's 6-over 294.

"We had an OK round," Lady Vols coach Judi Pavon said. "The first day is always tough to get under your belt. We didn't know what to expect from the golf course and this is a really difficult course. We had a pretty good round going, and one of our strengths this spring has been finishing well - and we actually finished poorly today."

Brown, a junior, had four birdies and four bogeys en route to a four-way tie for third place on the individual scoreboard.

"I was really nervous at first, but I made it through," Brown said. "I really tried to focus on where I was hitting and trying to hit it in the fairway. I had two birdies in a row on the back nine and they both were solid putts. This is a tough course. To play well you have to make good saves when you do get in trouble."

Senior Nicole Smith shot a 76 and Diana Cantu had a 78.

Freshman Nathalie Mansson struggled over her final four holes to finish at 81, her highest round of the season.

Lauren Spurlock shot 84, which didn't figure in UT's team score.

"If we can get Lauren and Nathalie ready for tomorrow, then I think we'll be able to have a good day," Pavon said. "Ginny played fantastic and Diana really fought and hung in there, as did Nicole today."

Denver takes a two-stroke lead over UCLA into today's second round.

Catherine O'Donnell of North Carolina and Stephanie Sherlock of Denver share the individual lead at 70.