FAYETTEVILLE — The Arkansas women’s golf team got off to a hot start at the NCAA Palm Beach Gardens (Fla.) Regional on Monday.
Senior Julia Gregg shot a balanced 1-over round to lead the Razorbacks to a 9-over 297 and third place after the opening round at the 6,315-yard PGA National course.
The No. 45 Razorbacks, making their 21st appearance in a regional, are in sole possession of third, 12 strokes behind runaway leader No. 34 Michigan State (-3) and one stroke behind South Florida.
No. 3 LSU, No. 10 Texas and No. 28 Duke are all a shot behind Arkansas at 10 over and eight teams are within four strokes of second place. The top five teams after three rounds from each of six NCAA regional will make up the field for the NCAA championships, scheduled for May 19-24 in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Gregg sits in a tie for 11th place with four other golfers, trailing Michigan State’s Brooke Biermann (-3) by four shots. Northwestern’s Kelly Sim and Miami’s Sara Byrne were tied for second at 2 under.
Gregg carded three birdies and four bogeys to reach 71. Arkansas junior Miriam Ayora was also at 1 over before bogeys on Nos. 17 and 18 dropped her into a tie for 25th at 3 over and sent Arkansas from second to third.
Senior Kajal Mistry (74) and freshman Reagan Zibilski (75) had the Razorbacks’ other counting scores, and senior Ela Anacona shot a 78. Mistry had a wild round with six birdies to lead the field and six bogeys. She had no pars on her final 10 holes, playing those in 1 over with 5 birdies, 4 bogeys and 1 double bogey. Zibilski had a pair of birdies and bogeys but was dinged by a triple bogey 7 on No. 9.
Gregg and Zibilski played the par 3s in 1 under, tied for second best in the field behind South Florida’s Melanie Green, who played them in 2 under.
Duke’s Andie Smith had the day’s lone hole in one on the 168-yard 7th, but she followed that up with a triple bogey on the 380-yard 8th.