Yuen leads Tigers after first round in Georgia

Calum McAndrew

One excellent individual performance can save a team’s score in collegiate golf.

Jessica Yuen did just that for Missouri women’s golf in Round 1 of the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic on Friday in Athens, Georgia, posting a 2-under-par round of 70 to keep the Tigers in the mix heading into the rest of the weekend’s play.

Missouri sits in a tie for 13th of 18 teams after the first round, 13 strokes behind leader LSU. The Tigers trail a spot in the top half of the leaderboard by five.

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Fifteen of the teams playing at the University of Georgia Golf Course are ranked in Golfstat’s top-50 programs in the nation. Of the three unranked teams, Missouri leads the way after the first round.

Yuen’s round puts her in a tie for fifth on the individual leaderboard, six strokes behind LSU’s Ingrid Lindblad, who posted a bogey-free 64 to lead the field by four.

It’s a jump from Yuen to the rest of the Missouri roster.

Sophia Yoemans had the Tigers’ second-best score of the day with a 3-over par round of 75, ending Friday in a tie for 39th. The sophomore closed out her front nine with a pair of birdies after three opening bogeys, but would give both shots back on the inward nine.

Brianne Bolden is a shot further back after shooting a 4-over 76. She played the first nine holes without a bogey, posting a 2-under 35. A 6-over par back-nine 41 dropped her from the top end of the leaderboard to a tie for 43rd after the first day.

Missouri’s fourth and final counting score hurt its place on the leaderboard the most.

The Tigers were forced to take an 8-over 80 from Noelle Beijer, as freshman Emily Staples went one worse with a 9-over 81.

Missouri will begin the second round in Georgia at 9:20 a.m. Saturday, paired with College of Charleston and Southeastern Conference rival Tennessee.