HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – Longwood women's golf started slow but bounced back to sit 14^th out of 19 teams after one round at the Low Country Intercollegiate. Emma Landis leads the way and is tied for ninth among the 105-player field.
 
SCORES:
Moss Creek Golf Club
Hilton Head, S.C.
Par 72, 6,009 Yard
 
13. Longwood: 332 (+44)
T9. Emma Landis: 78 (+6)
T39. Grace Huffman: 82 (+10)
T71. Annabelle Jennings: 85 (+13)
T83. Ester Choi: 87 (+15)
 
Independent
T65. Mary-Sears Brown: 84 (+12)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
The Lancers shook off a bit of a slow start to the front nine to climb back up into 14^th in a competitive, deep field. Teams across the board struggled to post low scores as the course had gusty wind conditions.
 
No players shot below par, and only three in the 105-player field were three strokes or less over par. Despite the tough conditions, the Lancers are within five strokes of the top 10 after 18 holes.
 
Landis was one of the most consistent golfers of the day for Longwood, and she had 12 pars and a birdie to tie for ninth with her opening round 78. She finished with seven pars in her final nine holes.
 
Grace Huffman led the team with a trio of birdies and posted an 82 to tie for 39^th on the day.
 
Annabelle Jennings carded an 85 that sits tied for 71^st after closing strong from a slow start. She had a pair of birdies and a trio of pars.
 
Ester Choi was tied for 83^rd with an opening round 87, and she too was at her best down the stretch after a tough start. She made par on five of her final six holes.
 
Mary-Sears Brown, playing as an independent, was tied for 65^th with an 84 in her opening round.
 
WHAT THEY SAID:
 
"The course played very difficult today with new greens and winds that were steady 20 mph off the coast with gusts up to 30 mph," said Longwood Head Coach Brittany Dabule. "Players who shot well today had to keep the ball in play, and their short game had to be spot on."
 
"I tried to stay calm and present with what I had to work with," said Landis. "I'm going to try and have the same mindset going into tomorrow."
 
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
 
Longwood was the second-best team in average score on Par 4s at 4.60.
 
The Lancers were also tied for third in the field with six birdies. No team had more than seven birdies.
 
Landis was tied for third in average score on Par 4s at 4.20.
 
Huffman was tied for fifth on average score on Par 3s at 3.00.
 
Huffman also tied for the lead in the field with her three birdies.
 
UP NEXT:
 
The second round of the three-day tournament begins Saturday morning. The final round will take place on Sunday, March 19.
 
#GoWood