The Tennessee women’s golf team, ranked No. 22/25, completed the first round of the Moon Golf Invitational in ninth place out of 17 teams on Sunday at Suntree Country Club in Melbourne, Florida. The tournament features a strong field with 12 teams ranked in the top 25 nationally.
Tennessee posted an 11-over-par score of 299 during the opening round. Texas A&M leads after day one as the only team under par, finishing with a 3-under-par 285 and holding a seven-shot advantage over second-place Auburn. Florida, Wake Forest, and Texas are tied for third at five over par.
For Tennessee, Madison Messimer and Manassanan Chotikabhukkana led the team by each carding a two-over-par 74. Messimer made 14 pars and had a birdie on hole No. 12 to offset three bogeys. Chotikabhukkana matched her teammate’s total, with her birdie coming on hole No. 15.
Mississippi State’s Izzy Pellot leads individually at three under par after round one, five strokes ahead of both Messimer and Chotikabhukkana. The pair is tied for 29th among the field of ninety golfers heading into Monday’s second round.
Kaopan Thapasit contributed a three-over-par 75 to open play and sits tied for fortieth place. Freshmen Sophie Christopher and Kyra Van Kan both shot four-over-par rounds of 76 to complete Tennessee’s scoring for the day; they are tied for fiftieth entering round two.
Van Kan, who was named SEC Golfer of the Week prior to this event, struggled early with bogeys but finished strongly by playing her final nine holes one under par—the only Lady Vol to post an under-par half-round on Sunday.
Second-round play is scheduled to begin Monday at 8 a.m. EST from holes No.1 and No.10.
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