Tseng, Dobson power Tulsa into tie for lead in AAC Championship

PINEHURST, NC –– The Tulsa women’s golf team sits in a first-place tie after the opening round of the 54-hole American Athletic Conference Championships Sunday at the par-72 Pinehurst No. 6 Course.

Tulsa shot a 5-over par 293 as did the UCF Knights to share the first-round lead. Tulsa’s Lorena Tseng and Taylor Dobson carded even par rounds of 72 on the day to sit in a five-way tie for third place.

Tulsa and UCF hold a three-stroke lead over tournament favorite and the nation’s 20^th-ranked Houston Cougars. The defending champion scored a round of 296 today, while East Carolina (298) and South Florida (301) round out the top five teams.

After bogey’s on her first two holes, the junior Tseng settled down with even pars the remainder of the first nine holes and turned in birdie putts on the par-4 14^th and the par-4 17^th holes for her even par score.

Dobson, a senior from Broken Arrow, Okla., bogeyed the first hole as well, but quickly evened her score with a second hole birdie. She ended the first nine holes at 1-under par after birdies on holes 5 and 7 sandwiched a bogey on the par-5 6^th hole. Dobson had an adventurous second nine on the day with bogeys on holes, 11, 12, 17 and 18 and three straight birdie putts on holes 14, 15 and 16.

Lilly Thomas is in 11^th place with a 2-over par 74 and Haley Greb’s 3-over par 75 was Tulsa’s final countable score as she sits in 17^th place heading into Monday’s second round. Freshman Titita Loudtragulngam turned in a round of 80 and sits in 34th place in the field of 50 participants.

ECU’s Dorthea Forbrigd and Memphis’ Abby Hermann are tied for individual medalist honors after turning in opening round scores of 1-under 71.

Second round action takes place on Monday and the final 18 holes will be played Tuesday.

TEAM RESULTS

1. Tulsa                                  293
2. UCF                                    293
3. Houston                           296
4. East Carolina                  298
5. South Florida                  301
6. SMU                                  302
7. Memphis                         303
8. Tulane                               306
9. Wichita State                 323
10. Cincinnati                        326

TULSA INDIVIDUALS

T3.      Lorena Tseng                                  72 (E)

T3.      Taylor Dobson                               72 (E)

T11.   Lilly Thomas                                    74 (+2)

T17.   Haley Greb                                      75 (+3)

T34.   Titita Loudtragulngam                80 (+8)

TOP-5 INDIVIDUAL RESULTS

T1.      Dorthea Forbrigd, ECU               71 (-1)

T1.      Abby Hermann, Memphis         71 (-1)

T3.      Lorena Tseng, Tulsa                    72 (E)

T3.      Taylor Dobson, Tulsa                  72 (E)

T3.      Ana Laura Collado, UCF              72 (E)

T3.      Melanie Green, USF                    72 (E)

T3.      Anne Norman, Houston             72 (E)