The No. 6 Arkansas women’s golf team finished the opening round of the SEC Championship at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida, on Apr. 17 just two shots behind co-leaders Vanderbilt and Texas A&M.
This result puts Arkansas in a strong position as the top eight teams will advance to match play after 54 holes. The competition remains close, with only four strokes separating the top eight teams and ninth-place Auburn sitting three shots over the projected cut line of even par.
Senior Reagan Zibilski led Arkansas with a score of three-under-par 67, tying for fourth place individually. Zibilski birdied four of her first six holes and completed her first nine at three under par. She added more birdies and closed out her round by sinking a difficult 15-foot putt for birdie on the par-3 ninth hole, which was one of only two such scores recorded there in round one.
Sara Brentcheneff also contributed significantly with a two-under-par 68 during her postseason debut, building on momentum from last month’s Clemson Invitational where she finished tied for fifth place. Brentcheneff managed to par eight of her first nine holes before making three consecutive birdies later in her round.
Maria Jose Marin started slowly but recovered to finish at one-over-par while freshman Swetha Sathish ended at two over after bogeying late holes. Junior Abbey Schutte’s ten-over-par score was dropped from Arkansas’ total as per tournament rules.
Looking ahead, Arkansas will tee off early alongside Florida and Texas for the second round, starting with Schutte at 7:10 a.m., followed by Sathish, Marin, Brentcheneff, and Zibilski.
