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Sunner grabs opening round lead
By Brad Cameron/Gate City Sports Editor
HAMILTON, Ill. - Two former Iowa High School state champions are on top of the leaderboard after the first round of the girls 18-19 age division of the Pepsi Little People's Golf Championship.
Ankeny's Abbi Sunner, the 2006 champion in Class 3A, shot a 79 Tuesday at Deer Run Golf Course. She leads Carroll's Maureen White, the 2006 champion in 4A, by two shots heading into today's final round.
The two were grouped together with Betsy Beaver of Dayton, Ohio. Beaver finished the first round fourth with a score of 85.
“You definitely play up to the level of your competition,” White said. “It was nice to play with Abbi. I know her from junior tournaments in the past and it's fun to compete with her.”
Sunner, who finished with a 78.54 stroke average as a freshman on the Kansas State women's golf team, wasn't totally satisfied with her play Tuesday.
“I thought I struggled a little bit, but by the look of the scores I'm right there,” Sunner said. “I thought I could have played a little bit better. I didn't hit as many greens as I should have, but I'll take it.
“This course is kind of a finesse course. You have to know where to hit the ball, and you have to place your ball well. There are a lot of different shots you have to hit. It's a good little course that challenges you.”
White, a member of the Creighton University women's golf team, felt the same about her round.
“I definitely would have liked to shoot a little lower score on such a beautiful day,” White said. “I think you can shoot low on this course, so hopefully I can do better than an 81 tomorrow.”
Sunner was one shot better than White on both the front and back.
“I shot a 40 on the front so I wanted to shoot lower on the back and finish in the 70s,” White said. “Once I finished I knew I was going to be in the 80s, but I'm not too worked up about it. Hopefully, I can do better tomorrow.”
With a round under their belts, Sunner believes the scores will be lower today.
“I think the scores will come down quite a bit,” Sunner said. “I need a little lower score. Hopefully I can keep it in the 70s and play a little better than I did today.”
Allie Andrews tied Sunner for low score on the back nine with a 40 and is alone in third with an 84. Beavers is fourth, and Alex Anderson is fifth with an 85.
Keokuk's Nerissa Hetzel is alone in eighth after shooting a 43-45-88.
“My round was all right,” Hetzel said. “I drove the ball well. I only missed two fairways, so that was good, but I hardly hit any greens. My focus for tomorrow is hitting those greens and just have fun.”
Ankeny's Abbi Sunner, the 2006 champion in Class 3A, shot a 79 Tuesday at Deer Run Golf Course. She leads Carroll's Maureen White, the 2006 champion in 4A, by two shots heading into today's final round.
The two were grouped together with Betsy Beaver of Dayton, Ohio. Beaver finished the first round fourth with a score of 85.
“You definitely play up to the level of your competition,” White said. “It was nice to play with Abbi. I know her from junior tournaments in the past and it's fun to compete with her.”
Sunner, who finished with a 78.54 stroke average as a freshman on the Kansas State women's golf team, wasn't totally satisfied with her play Tuesday.
“I thought I struggled a little bit, but by the look of the scores I'm right there,” Sunner said. “I thought I could have played a little bit better. I didn't hit as many greens as I should have, but I'll take it.
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White, a member of the Creighton University women's golf team, felt the same about her round.
“I definitely would have liked to shoot a little lower score on such a beautiful day,” White said. “I think you can shoot low on this course, so hopefully I can do better than an 81 tomorrow.”
Sunner was one shot better than White on both the front and back.
“I shot a 40 on the front so I wanted to shoot lower on the back and finish in the 70s,” White said. “Once I finished I knew I was going to be in the 80s, but I'm not too worked up about it. Hopefully, I can do better tomorrow.”
With a round under their belts, Sunner believes the scores will be lower today.
“I think the scores will come down quite a bit,” Sunner said. “I need a little lower score. Hopefully I can keep it in the 70s and play a little better than I did today.”
Allie Andrews tied Sunner for low score on the back nine with a 40 and is alone in third with an 84. Beavers is fourth, and Alex Anderson is fifth with an 85.
Keokuk's Nerissa Hetzel is alone in eighth after shooting a 43-45-88.
“My round was all right,” Hetzel said. “I drove the ball well. I only missed two fairways, so that was good, but I hardly hit any greens. My focus for tomorrow is hitting those greens and just have fun.”
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| Lady Hawks get first win |
