CURTIS CUPPERS BROOKE PANCAKE, STEPHANIE MEADOW BOOST ALABAMA INTO LEAD

FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA WEBSITE
With a few additional words by Colin Farquharson
FRANKLIN, Tennessee - The Alabama women's golf team has the first-round lead at the 2012 NCAA Women's Golf Championships at 2-under-par 286 on the par-72, 6,377-yard North Course at the Vanderbilt Legends Club.
"It was a nice start to the tournament," Alabama head coach Mic Potter said. "You can lose today, but you can't win. You have to keep yourself in position. I like the fact that we played late today and early tomorrow, and we can come back and keep our momentum going.

"It is all about positioning right now - there is a lot of golf to be played. It is as much endurance, patience and staying calm as it is anything."

In the team race, Virginia is second place at even-par 288, after an incorrect scorecard cost the Cavaliers six shots almost three hours after they completed their round. Duke is in third at 1-over 289 with North Carolina fourth (292) and Arizona State and UCLA tied for fifth at 5-over 293.
"It is important to play well on the first day, but we are not thinking about winning the tournament," Potter said. "We are thinking about doing the best we can all week long.
"As far as the leaderboard goes, it wouldn't have bothered me either way (if Alabama led or not). I think we have to take care of our business. I would not have cared what the lead was today. We just have to come back out and play well tomorrow."
US Curtis Cup team selection Brooke Pancake, pictured above left, who fired a 4-under-par 68, led the second-ranked Crimson Tide in round one. The Chattanooga native returned to her home state of Tennessee and is tied for third place at the end of the first day.
Team-mate Stephanie Meadow, pictured above right (who will be on the opposite side for GB and I in next month's Curtis Cup match at Nairn) is one shot back in a tie for fifth with a bogey-free, three-under-par 69 that included three birdies in her final five holes.
Stephanie, from Jordanstown, Northern Ireland and a member at Royal Portrush Golf Club, started at the 10th and reeled off 13 straight pars before birdieing the short 11th, long seventh and long ninth.
"I felt really comfortable out there today," Brooke Pancake said. "I had a really good mindset going into the round. It is nice to be playing my last college tournament in my home state with a lot of support out here. I had the mindset that good or bad I'm going to enjoy myself."
The Tide's Jennifer Kirby shot 2-over-par 74 and is tied for 34th while Hannah Collier birdied two of her final three holes for a 75. Courtney McKim shot 82 and did not count toward the UA team total. Virginia's Portland Rosen leads all individuals with a 6-under 66.
It marks the first time the Crimson Tide has led the NCAA Championships at the conclusion of any round in the team's eight appearances.
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+BRITWATCH. Hayley Davis (Baylor) from Dorset is lying in T34 position after a 74 while Sally Watson (Stanford) from Edinburgh has a 78 to be T95. Sally had one birdie, at the 13th, and seven bogeys. Hally Leadbetter (Arkansas) is T104 after a 79. Incidentally, Laura Gonzalez (Purdue) who is lying second won the British girls open amateur championship at Monifieth in 2008 when she beat Kelly Tidy (Royal Birkdale), one of GB and I's Curtis Cup team selections, in the final.

TEAM SCOREBOARD
286 Alabama. 288 Virginia. 289 Duke. 290 North Carolina. 292 UCLA, Arizona State. 293 Purdue, Louisiana State. 294 Oklahoma. 296 Michigan State. 297 Southern California, Colorado, Texas. 299 North Carolina State, Baylor.
300 Tennessee. 301 Texas A and M. 302 South Carolina.

INDIVIDUAL LEADERBOARD
Vanderbilt Legends Club, Tennessee
North Course 6,377yd, South 6,264yd. Both Par 72
+US Curtis Cup team players in black print.
+GB and I Curtis Cup team player in green print

66 Portland Rosen (Virginia)
67 Laura Gonzalez (Purdue)
68 Catherine O'Donnell (North Carolina), Brooke Pancake (Alabama).
69 Chirapat Jao-Javanil (Oklahoma), Stephanie Meadow (Alabama), Giulia Molinaro (Arizona State), Tessa Teachman (LSU).

SELECTED SCORES
70 Lindy Duncan (Duke) (T9).
73 Emily Tubert (Arkansas) (T27)
74 Hayley Davis (Baylor) (T34)
75 Tiffany Lua (UCLA) (T47)
76 Lisa McCloskey (Southern California) (T70)
77 Erica Popson (Tennessee) (T85)
78 Austin Ernst (LSU), Sally Watson (Stanford) (T95)
79 Hally Leadbetter (Arkansas) (T104).
Field of 126 players.