Tech women's golf team sixth after first day of Lady Bison Bay Point Classic

By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information

PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. – The first two rounds of the 2020-21 campaign came to a close for the Tennessee Tech women's golf team Monday, competing at the Nicklaus Course at Bay Point Golf Club at the Lady Bison Bay Point Classic

Hosted by Lipscomb University, Tech finished the first of two days of action in sixth place among the nine teams in competition. The Golden Eagles completed round one of the day in sixth after a 335, but shaved off eight strokes during their second trip around the course. After a second-round 327, Tech remained in sixth with a 662 overall score.

Five Golden Eagles attacked the challenging course for the first time in program history, led by sophomore Elisabeth Toennessen, who tied for 24th among the 54 participants after 163 overall. Following an 82 in the first round, the Grimstad, Norway native carded an 81 in her second try, racking up 14 pars along the way. With 22 through two rounds, she ranked fifth in the field for total pars. 

Redshirt senior Arianna Clemmer posted the top score of the day for the purple and gold, trimming eight shots off of her first-round 86 for a 78 in round two. Her 164 total placed her in a tie for 26th. Two strokes behind her teammate, senior Hannah Bratton tied for 31st with consistent play. She wrapped up the day with a pair of 83s and a 166.

Next among the Tech finishers, junior Heidi Lawson concluded play with an 84-85=169, tying for 37th overall. Rounding out the action for the Golden Eagles was sophomore Katrine Toennessen. The youngster posted rounds of 87 and 86 to finish in a tie for 42nd with a 173.

"We are looking forward to the opportunity to finish strong tomorrow," Tech head coach Polk Brown expressed. "We're just very grateful to be back out here competing and are ready to keep improving each hole, each round and each event."

The third and final round of the Lady Bison Bay Point Classic is slated for a 7:30 a.m. CT start Tuesday morning.

Photo by Thomas Corhern