NORMAL, Ill. – After the first two rounds of play at the Redbird Invitational at Weibring Golf Club, Maggie Ambrose and Brianna Cooper led the Illinois State women's golf team to second place at the end of the first day of competition Sunday. Ambrose and Cooper sit at the top of the leaderboard in first and second place, respectively.
In the first round, Ambrose led the team with a 1-over-par 73, and improved by a stroke in the second round, shooting par (72). Ambrose carded a two-round score of 145 (73-72), to take the top spot on the individual leaderboard. Cooper was close behind Ambrose with a 75 in the first round, before improving in the second round, where she shot a 1-under-par 71. Cooper was the only Redbird to shoot under par during the first two rounds and ended the day with a 146 (75-71).
Head coach Darby Sligh felt these first two rounds were a solid start for the Redbirds.
"We hung in there all day from top to bottom, even when we didn't have our best," Sligh said. "The hard work this team has put in continues to show through. Maggie had a breakout day and is deservedly leading the tournament. Brianna also had a birdie barrage this afternoon and showed just how deep we are in this roster. Monday gives us another chance for others to step up and grab this title."
In their first collegiate tournament, Abby Luchtenburg and Kiley Walsh made a significant impact to the team's score. Luchtenburg shot a two-round score of 153 (78-75), improving from the first round to the second round to take 21st place. Walsh had a two-round score of 156 (77-79), for 32nd place. Seniors Hayley Guyton (77-80) and Lauren English (78-79) tied for 38th place with a 36-hole score of 157.
Alongside Ambrose, Courtnee Cossell and Renee Solberg also competed as individuals in the invitational. Cossell shot an 11-over-par with a two-round score of 155 (80-75), while Solberg had a day-one score of 166 (83-83).
Illinois State sits behind in-state rival Northern Illinois, as the Huskies are in first with a team score of 604 (308-296). Ball State (614), Butler (617) and Ohio (618) are close behind ISU in third, fourth and fifth place, respectively. The Redbirds are leading Missouri Valley Conference foes Bradley (628), Loyola (637), Drake (634) and Evansville (642).
The third and final round of the invitational will conclude Monday with an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start.
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