PANORA, Iowa. -- Freshman Kelly Amundrud (Calgary, Alberta/Strathcona Tweedsmuir) is the individual leader and the Bradley women's golf team is tied for fourth following Friday's opening round of the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Women's Golf Championship at the par-72 Lake Panorama National Golf Course. Amundrud matched a season-best with a par-72, while the Braves shot a 308 Friday to finish the day seven shots behind Illinois State in a tie with Drake for fourth place.
Amundrud was the only player in the 50-person field to shoot par and will enter Saturday's second round with a one-shot lead on Illinois State's Marisa Milligan and Northern Iowa's Blair Bonner, who both carded rounds of 73 Friday.
Sophomore Breanna Neufeld (Coaldale, Alberta/Coaldale) is two shots behind Amundrud in a tie for fourth place after firing a season-best 74. Senior Bari Erais (Lethbridge, Alberta/Lethbridge Collegiate Institute) is five shots off the lead after carding a five-over 77 Friday. Erais tied former teammate Rikki Sobel's school career mark for rounds played with 106th round and finished the day tied for 16th at 77.
Freshman Erin Gorman (Rockford, Ill./Boylan) is tied for 44th overall after shooting an 85, while sophomore Caitlin Deeken (California, Mo./California) shot an 89 to round out the scoring and ended the day in 50th.
Illinois State shot a 301 in the first round and holds a three-shot lead on second-place Wichita State (304). Northern Iowa is five shots behind the Redbirds in third place at 306 and holds a two-shot edge on both Bradley and Drake after both teams fired 308 to open play.
Missouri State and Evansville are in a tie for sixth place, four shots behind the Braves and Bulldogs at 312 and are followed by eighth-place Creighton at 314. Indiana State shot a 318 and is ninth overall, edging out 10th-place Southern Illinois (319) by one shot.
Bradley resumes play at the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Championship Saturday with one round of play. The Braves are slated to tee off at approximately 9 a.m. Live updates from the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Women's Golf Championship are available at www.golfstat.com
