Purdue leads after first day of Landfall Tradition

WILMINGTON, NC (UNCW) — Two-time champion Purdue shot a blistering 5-under-par 283 and South Carolina’s Nanna Madsen soared to the top of the individual leaderboard with a 6-under 66 as the opening day of the 13th Landfall Tradition drew to a close Friday at the Country Club of Landfall’s Pete Dye Course.

The Boilermakers, who won the title in 2005 and 2011, are looking to become the first team to win the event three times. Purdue won the NCAA national championship at the venue in 2010.

Wake Forest (286), Florida (288), UCF (289), Notre Dame (290), Alabama (290) and Oklahoma State (290) round out the leaders in the team standings. Trailing the frontrunners are Duke (292), North Carolina (292), Tennessee (292), Virginia (292), Ohio State (292), Arizona (293), South Carolina (293), N.C. State (301), Penn State (308), Michigan State (315) and host UNCW (315).

Three Purdue players shot under par on the day to help the 44th-ranked Boilermakers put the field in their rear view mirror. Senior Aurora Kan fired a 4-under 68, while sophomore August Kim and freshman Marta Martin Garcia fashioned 1-under 71s.

Madsen, a freshman from Copenhagen, Denmark, had four birdies and eagled the Par 5, 467-yard 18th hole en route to her 66 total. The No. 6-ranked player in the country owns a one-stroke advantage over UCF’s Ashley Holder, who reeled off seven birdies and two bogeys on the day for a 5-under 67.

Overall, an astounding 21 players covered the Pete Dye course under par, including nine players at 69 or under.

Clear skies and temperatures in the low 70s resulted in an assault on the LT record books. Purdue broke its own record for lowest Friday round, eclipsing the mark of 287 set in 2007. Madsen’s 66 scorecard matched the lowest round by an individual shared by Wake Forest’s Nannette Hill (2007) and Duke’s Lindy Duncan (2010).

UNCW closed out the opening round with a 27-over-par 315 total. Junior Annette Lyche led the Seahawks with a 4-over 76 and junior Meghan Thiess had a 6-over 78.

“We were right there after seven holes,” said UNCW veteran Head Coach Cindy Ho. “We made the turn and just didn’t play the back nine very well. We struggled as a team putting and didn’t make our putts as a team on a golf course that was scorable with perfect greens. It was a struggle for us on the greens, and we didn’t make enough putts to help us in our scoring.

“Annette played well, she was consistent and steady. It’s a three-day tournament and we want to improve every day. We were definitely nervous playing with Ohio State and defending national champion Alabama. We weren’t able to handle our nerves as well as I hoped. We started to press on the back nine and that hurt us.”

The second round of the 54-hole event tees off at 8:21 a.m. Saturday morning. Admission is free to the public, with designated parking available near the course.

Individual Leaderboard: 1. Nanna Madsen, South Carolina, 66; 2. Ashley Holder, UCF, 67; T3. Aurora Kan, Purdue, 68; T3. A.J. Newell, Tennessee, 68; T5. Ashley Armstrong, Notre Dame, 69; T5. Manon Gidali, Arizona, 69; T5. Sierra Sims, Wake Forest, 69; T5. Elizabeth Szokol, Virginia, 69; T5. Emma Talley, Alabama, 69.

UNCW Individual Results: Annette Lyche, T59., 76; Meghan Theiss, T71., 78; Mallory Warrick, T79., 79; Kayla Thompson, 94., 82; Elizabeth Hall, 99., 86.

Team Standings: 1. Purdue, 283; 2. Wake Forest, 286; 3. Florida, 288; 4. UCF, 289; T5. Notre Dame, 290; T5. Alabama, 290; T9., T5. Oklahoma State, 290; T8. Duke, 292; T8. North Carolina, 292; T8. Tennessee, 292; T8. Virginia, 292; T8. Ohio State, 292; T13. Arizona, 293; T13. South Carolina, 293; 15. N.C. State, 301; 16. Penn State, 308; T17. Michigan State; T17; UNCW, 315.