MIAMI LAKES – A two-over par 74 from freshman Abbey Williams was Florida Southern's top score Monday, and individuals Emily Tofaute and Britta Bernth each had a 77, while Rollins College took the lead behind a six-under par 66 from Annie Dulman in the first round of the Barry University Women's Invitational.
Williams' 74 equaled her best score of the spring, and it puts her among a large group of golfers who are tied for 11th place. All of them are chasing Dulman, who fired a 66 on Monday and is threatening to run away from the field. Lynn's Jessica Bradley is currently second with a two-under par 70, and another Lynn golfer, Samantha Smolen, has a 71.
Although Williams (Marietta, Ga.) had a 74, all three of the other Florida Southern counters had an 80, giving the Moccasins a team score of 314. Those three were senior Emily Rymer (Orlando, Fla.), junior Kit Creighton (Buffalo, N.Y.), and redshirt junior Emma Marlatt (Chapel Hill, N.C.). Junior Colleen Panosian (Smyrna, Ga.) was just one shot behind them with an 81.
The Moccasins also had four golfers playing as individuals, with Tofaute, a junior from Louisville, posting the best score of her career. Bernth's matching score of 77 was only one off her career-best too, which has the sophomore from Greenville, Michigan in a tie for 39th. That gives Florida Southern two of the top five individual golfers in the tournament, with a total of 17 playing with that designation. The Mocs' other two individuals, redshirt sophomore Shannon McKew (Cockeysville, Md.) and freshman Kolby McWilliams (Tallahassee, Fla.), each had an 88.
Despite having the number two and three golfers in the 88-player field, Lynn is only third in the team standings. Dulman's 66 was enough to carry Rollins to the lead with a team score of 289 (+1), which is three strokes better than host Barry, and six better than Lynn. The Buccaneers had three golfers shoot a 72 Monday, and their fourth counter had a 76, but no one else in the tournament came close to Dulman. The Knights of Lynn University had their two under-par counters in Bradley and Smolen, with a 76 and a 78 completing their score.
The final round at Don Shula's Golf Club is Tuesday.
