GREENSBORO, Georgia – Senior Thao My Nguyen carded a 3-under-par 69 to lead UNCW during the opening round of the Reynolds Lake Oconee Invitational on Friday afternoon.
 
Led by Nguyen, the Seahawks shot a 15-over-par 303 to finish the first round in a tie for third place with East Carolina. Host Mercer and Auburn share the team lead after the opening 18 holes at 5-over-par.
 
Nguyen, who holds the individual lead after the opening round, carded five birdies in the first round, including three birdies over four holes.
 
Junior Keri Kenkel closed out the first round in a tie for 13th place at 3-over-par while sophomore Phu Khine is tied for 26th at 5-over-par.

"It was a solid start for us considering we didn't have a practice round due to the unplayable conditions yesterday and none of us had ever seen the course before," Coach Cindy Ho said. "I am proud of the team today in how they handled the situation and the cold. 

"Thao My had an excellent round today. She had been striking the ball so well, but her scores hadn't reflected it, so it was great to see her finish under par. She had a great attitude today and kept patient at the beginning, going up and down until she could settle into her round." 
 
Up Next: The second round of the Reynolds Lake Oconee Invitational is slated for Saturday, Feb. 22, with a split tee start at 9 a.m.  

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