Golden Eagles 17th going into final round

PINEHURST, N.C. – Tennessee Tech struggled against stiff competition in the first day of play at the 2012 Pinehurst Challenge on Monday, shooting a combined score of 642 through two rounds of play.

The Golden Eagles were led by Katherine Bell, who turned in a strong first round, firing a one-over 73 to open the tournament, held at one of golf's most renowned courses. Bell finished the day with a 79 in the second round to finish with a combined 152. Bell will go into Tuesday's final round tied for 44^th in a field of 92 golfers.

North Carolina State opened up a comfortable lead in the first day of the event, shooting a combined 571 to hold a 15-stroke lead over Maryland and East Carolina, who tied for second. NC State's Vivian Tsui held the individual lead behind a second-round 68 to go with a first-round 72.

Behind Bell, the rest of the Tech contingent consisted of Brandy VanEtten (80-80=160), Katy Beth Glover (82-85=167), Amber Shepherd (82-87=169) and Amanda Randolph (94-81=175).

Behind NC State, Maryland and East Carolina were tied for second with a score of 586. Old Dominion shot 589 to place fourth and UNC Wilmington and Penn State both came in at 593 to round out the top five.

The rest of the field consisted of UNC Greensboro (596), Samford (597), Richmond (604), Middle Tennessee State (605), James Madison (606), Elon (609), College of Charleston (611), Western Michigan (615), Georgetown (615), Marshall (639) and Tennessee Tech (642).

Tuesday's final round begins with a 7:45 a.m. CDT shotgun start. Check TTUSports.com for final results.