MANHATTAN, Kan. – Rutgers women's golf had a strong opening day at the Marilynn Smith Sunflower Invitational, sitting in fourth out of nine teams after two rounds of play at Colbert Hills Golf Club. 

Rikke Nordvik sits in a tie for fifth place at even par, thanks in part to a 1-under 71 in round two, playing through difficult conditions. Lorena Rossettin joins her in the top 10, as she is in a tie for 10th place with one round remaining. 
 

"We had some good stretches of play out here on a challenging golf course," head coach Kari Williams said. "We had some tough pins and high winds to manage but I was happy with the way we battled for birdies. Tomorrow we need to focus on minimizing our mistakes and managing ourselves around the course for all 18 holes to have a chance at climbing this leaderboard."

2023 Marilynn Smith Sunflower Invitational: Rounds 1 & 2
October 2, 2023
Colbert Hills Golf Club (Manhattan, Kan.)
Par 72 | 6,367 yards
Weather: Partly Clouds, Temps in Mid-80's, 10-15 mph winds

 * – Competing as individual 

Starting on hole No. 7, Nordvik was able to gain momentum early in her opening round, birdieing holes No. 13, 14 and 15 to shoot a 3-under 33 on the back. She added another birdie on No. 4 to shoot a 1-over 73 in her first round. 

She continued her strong play in the second round, carding another four birdies to shoot a 1-under 71 and vault into a tie for fifth place heading into the final round, shooting an even-par 144 (73-71).

"I am hitting the ball better this week and set myself up for lots of birdie opportunities," Nordvik said. "The wind definitely made the day tougher, so I just tried to make smart decisions and I stayed patient. As a team, we feel confident that we can come out tomorrow and finish strong in our final round of the tournament. 

Lorena Rossettin continues to play well as a true freshman for RU. After an opening-round 3-over 75 that featured 15 pars, Rossettin shot an even-par 72 in her second round, highlighted by birdies on holes No. 4, 5 and 9, giving her a 3-over 147 (75-72) for the tournament.

Leigha Devine sits just outside the top 20 heading into the final round. She rolled in four birdies in her opening round, shooting a 2-over 74. A second-round 4-over 76 has her in a tie for 21st with a 6-over 150 (74=76).

Cathi Graf collected three birdies on the day is in a tie for 33rd after shooting a 10-over 154 (78-76) in her first two rounds.

True freshman Krystal Li is in a tie for 37th after shooting an 11-over 155 (76-79) in her first even competing with the team and not as an individual. 

Competing as an individual in the event, true freshman Emily James was able to rebound from an opening-round 6-over 78, shooting a 2-over 74 in round two. James used her strong second round to shoot up the leaderboard into a tie for 26th with a two-round score of 8-over 152 (78-74). 

The third and final round of the tournament is set for an 9:30 a.m. ET shotgun start on Tuesday morning.

Rutgers University Women's Golf /// Piscataway, N.J.  
 
-RU-