FRIPP ISLAND, S.C. – Ester put together a solid opening round, and Longwood women's golf followed her lead to tie for fifth following 18 holes at the Big South Championship on Sunday afternoon.
 
Choi, a senior, sits tied for fourth for the Lancers at the Fripp Island Resort-Ocean Creek Course on the Par72, 6,032 yard course.
 
NOTABLE RESULTS:
 
The Lancers are tied with USC Upstate with an opening round 311 (+23), which puts them in fifth. Longwood is one shot back of Radford in fourth and four shots back from Charleston Southern in third. UNC Asheville shot an opening round 303 to lead the field, and High Point was one shot behind with a 304.
 
Through the first round, Longwood was the best team on Par fives, finishing two-under as a team on such holes on the day. That work allowed the Lancers to lead the field with 13 birdies.
 
Choi bounced back after a bit of a slow start to close the opening round well. She had two of her three birdies in her final five holes to pull into that tie for fourth. She is tied for third in the field with the three birdies.
 
The Lancer senior carded a 75 to tie with six other players in that fourth spot on a day when only one player had a round below par.
 
Abigail Sheldon is tied for 10^th after an up and down round that saw her card five birdies. Her five birdies led the field, and the freshman battled her way to a 76 (+4).
 
Breanna Hoese sits tied for 22^nd after an opening-round 79 (+7). She had two birdies on the day.
 
Chiara Wippert finished with an 81 (+9) to tie for 32^nd, and she had two birdies in her first four holes. Hannah Wang is tied for 36^th in the 45-player field after an opening round 82 that saw her post a birdie.
 
WHAT THEY SAID:
 
"We got off to a really great start," said Longwood Head Coach Megan Weaver. "The wind slowed from our morning practice round. This course is very, very tight; keeping the ball in the fairway is key. We limited the tee shots in the hazard, at least until we got to hole seven near the end of our rounds. Hitting three balls out of bounds really hurt our finish. But the win had also picked up quite a bit, so the scores across the board were high for every team. The good news is we are still in decent position going into round two. We will make a few adjustments tomorrow, and we will see how low we can go!"
 
FULL RESULTS:
 
T5. Longwood: 311 (+23)
 
T4. Ester Choi: 75 (+3)
T10. Abigail Sheldon: 76 (+6)
T22. Breanna Hoese: 79 (+7)
T32. Chiara Wippert: 81 (+9)
T36. Hannah Wang: 82 (+10)
 
UP NEXT:
 
Longwood plays the second round out of three on Tuesday, April 14. The top four teams following three rounds of stroke play will advance to match play.
 
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