Tadokoro leads MountainView Collegiate
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TUCSON, Ariz. – Kansas freshman Sera Tadokoro shot a career-best 4-under (68) in the first round of the MountainView Collegiate Friday and sits on top of the leaderboard with two rounds to play.
Tadokoro became the first Jayhawk to shoot a 68 since current teammate Ariadna Fonseca Diaz and KU All-American Yupaporn Kawinpakorn accomplished the feat in October 2015 at the Chip-N-Club Invitational.
“Sera did great (Friday),” said head coach Erin O’Neil. “She had an awesome front nine and she kept a level head on the back to have a really solid opening round. It’s the first time she has ever played in the desert and I think it’s safe to say she feels pretty comfortable. We are so pleased with how she has bounced back from her injury this spring, it’s definitely a testament to her hard work and dedication.”
The freshman fired a birdie on hole No. 2 and proceeded to post four-straight birdies on No. 5, 6, 7 and 8 to finish the front nine at 5-under. On the back nine, Tadokoro carded a bogey on No. 12 and 13 but recovered with a birdie on the No. 14 leaving her 4-under.
As a team, the Jayhawks shot 5-over (293) and are currently in third place after day one.
“We played pretty well (Friday) but gave most of our shots away around the greens for the most part,” said O’Neil. “It really comes down to eliminating three putts and not making more than a bogey if we do happen to get in trouble.”
Yi-Tsen Chou also shot consistently for Kansas. The sophomore carded a birdie on No. 3, and finished 1-under on the front nine. On the back nine, Chou shot a bogey on No. 10 and 16 but a birdie on No. 14 left her even for the round and tied for 10th place.
Fonseca Diaz’s got off to a strong start finishing even through the front nine thanks to a birdie shot on No. 9 after a bogey on No. 4. Fonseca Diaz struggled on the back nine though with a double bogey on No. 11 followed by a bogey on No. 16. Fonseca Diaz completed round one 3-over and is tied for 30th.
Chomchana Phuchanbanchob shot 6-over and sits in a tie for 54th. Xinyun Yu shot 9-over and is tied for 70th.
As an individual, senior Kallie Gonzales shot 3-over and is also in a tie for 30th.
Kansas will return to the MountainView Golf Club Saturday with an 8 a.m. (MT) start.
“It’s a great scoring course so lots of opportunities for birdie if we stay patient and trust in our process,” said O’Neil. “It’s our first time playing in this event in a while so hopefully we learn a lot in the last two days and can adjust our strategy and mindsets to help us finish strong in the remaining rounds.”
Live scoring is available through birdiefire.com
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