Khuanrudee Tied for Second, Penguins Fifth After First Round of HL Championships

Puthita Khuanrudee is tied for second place and the Youngstown State women's golf team is in fifth after the opening round of the Horizon League Championships on Sunday at Mission Inn Resort's Las Colinas course in Howey-In-The-Hills, Fla.

The Penguins posted a team score of 318 to sit 12 strokes off the lead following the opening round. Oakland is in first place after recording a 306 while Detroit Mercy is in second with a 307. Green Bay and Cleveland State each carded a 308 to tie for third place. YSU is one stroke ahead of sixth-place IUPUI.

Khuanrudee fired a one-over-par 74 on Sunday that featured 13 pars, two birdies and three bogeys. After beginning her round with a bogey, the senior settled in to make par or better on her next nine holes with back-to-back birdies on No. 5 and No. 6. Khuanrudee made par or better on 15 of her final 17 holes as she carded a one-under-par 34 on the front nine and a two-over-par 40 on the back nine. Khuanrudee is two strokes back of Oakland's Amalia Shahzan, who grabbed the lead with a one-under-par 72 in the first round.

Christina Lewis is tied for 22nd after an opening-round 80 that included nine pars and two birdies. The junior made par or better on each of her final seven holes as she shot a two-over-par 40 on the back nine. Danae Rugola is 29th after a first-round 81 that featured 10 pars and a birdie on the par-five No. 5.

Lizzie Saur and Madie Smithco each recorded an opening-round 83 to tie for 35th. Saur's first round included eight pars and a birdie on the par-five No. 13. After a rocky front nine, the freshman bounced back to shoot a three-over-par 41 on the back nine. Saur made par or better on six of her final eight holes. Smithco's opening round featured 10 pars as she made par on five of her first seven holes.

Youngstown State will be back in action on Monday for the second round of the 2022 Horizon League Championships. The Penguins will tee off on No. 1 beginning at 7:30 a.m.

YSU's Monday Tee Times: