Sept. 20, 2013

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - Mizzou Women's Golf closed out the first round at the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Challenge in Knoxville, Tenn., on Friday, Sept. 20. The Tigers finished 15-over par to tie for 15th overall at the Cherokee Country Club. The South Carolina Gamecocks lead the tournament after shooting 5-under par. No. 8 Arkansas sits in second scoring 2-under par, while Louisville rounds out the top three team totals.

The Tigers are led by junior Alina Rogers who finished the day just 1-over par. Rogers tallied two birdies after bogeying two holes early on, and she is currently tied at No. 19 overall. Freshman Jessica Meek had a strong showing out on the course. She closed out the day just one stroke behind Rogers, recording a 73 to finish 2-over par.

Sophomore Katherine Hepler sits just outside the top 50 players in the tournament as she is tied for 52nd overall after the first round. Hepler shot 4-over par and tallied three birdies on the back nine holes.

Senior Taylor Gohn put up a 79 in the first round to finish 8-over par, while redshirt sophomore Michelle Butler scored an 83 on the day to sit 12 shots over par.

Held at the 5,897-yard, par 71 course at Cherokee Country Club, the tournament will continue with the second round tomorrow with tee times starting at 7:30 a.m. CT. Live scoring for the tournament can be found on the Golfstat website, www.golfstat.com.

The tournament field consists of 17 teams, 11 of which were recognized nationally in the Golf World Preseason Division I Poll. In addition to No. 8 Arkansas and No. 18 Tulane, South Carolina, Tennessee, Mississippi State, Notre Dame, Michigan, UCF, Campbell, Louisville and Penn State, who are all receiving votes, are competing in the tournament. Also rounding out the field are Chattanooga, College of Charleston, Ole Miss, Rollins and UTSA.

Stay tuned to MUTigers.com for coverage of Missouri Women's Golf, or follow the team on Twitter (@MUWomensGolf) and Facebook (facebook.com/MUWomensGolf).