McLean County Times

The Illinois State women's golf team has gained a considerable lead in the opening round of the Missouri Valley Conference Championship held at Annbriar Golf Course in Waterloo, Illinois. The Redbirds have their top four players placed among the top nine in the field, leading the tournament by eight strokes going into the second round.

Jessica Jolly and Morgan Jones both shot even-par rounds of 72, while Jinyoung Yun and Elise Fennell each recorded a score of 73. The team achieved an overall score of 290 (+2), which is the record for the lowest single-round score by any school since the championship's relocation to Annbriar Golf Course three years ago. It is also the lowest score in the MVC Championship since the third round in 2018 and stands as the fifth-lowest single-round score in its history.

Illinois State's score of 290 not only topped the leaderboard but also established an eight-stroke advantage over Evansville, which is currently in second place. Other participants include Drake, Southern Illinois, Bradley, Missouri State, Northern Iowa, Murray State, UIC, Indiana State, Belmont, and Valparaiso.

In the opening round, Jolly demonstrated consistent play with three birdies and 12 pars, finishing at three-under on par-5s, matching the best performance on these holes. Jones also had a strong showing, notching two birdies and tying for the tournament lead with 14 pars.

Yun's performance included two birdies and 14 pars, and she finished with a 73. Yun and Fennell, who carded four birdies, share the sixth position. Lory Paradis added two birdies and nine pars to her first-round score of 78, tying her for 26th place in the tournament field which includes 60 golfers.

The next round sees the Redbirds commencing from the 10th hole, with tee times starting at 10:20 a.m. for Jolly, followed by Paradis at 10:30, Jones at 10:40, Fennell at 10:50, and Yun at 11:00.

The Illinois State Redbirds have encouraged followers to visit GoRedbirds.com and use the Illinois State Redbirds App for further updates and information on tickets, merchandise, and other promotional activities.