Considering the way Summar Roachell performed in stroke play qualifying Tuesday, the rest of the field is probably glad the rest of this week’s tournament is match play.
Roachell, the Conway native entering her junior season at Arkansas, easily claimed medalist honors at the Arkansas State Golf Association Women’s Match Play with a 3-under 69 on Tuesday on the Park Course at Hot Springs Country Club.
Roachell grabbed the top seed by four shots and await to see who she will meet in today’s opening round of match play.
Eighth-seeded Samantha Patrico of Arkansas Tech, the 2013 Hot Springs Lakeside graduate, and Bryant’s Peyton Weaver, an incoming sophomore at UALR, will open the match play portion of the tournament at 8:20 a.m. with the winner advancing to face Roachell at 10:14.
Patrico shot 84 Tuesday while Weaver, the reigning ASGA Stroke Play champion and the AWGA Match Play runner-up last month, turned in the day’s worst round at 85.
Kirsten Garner (76), the 2014 Hot Springs Lakeside graduate entering her sophomore year at Arkansas State, opens match play at 10:06 a.m. today against Russellville’s Julie Oxendine (74), one of the state’s most prolific amateurs.
Defending champion Libby Croom of Russellville carded 79 to earn the sixth seed and will face Nora Phillips (74) of Hot Springs at 9:50 a.m. The other opener pits Lake Village’s Heather Wall (73), the golf coach at Arkansas-Monticello, against Fayetteville’s Lulong Radler (80) at 9:58 a.m.