Punahele Jerky Company Inc. Invitational Results (Round 1)

WAIKOLOA VILLAGE, Hawaii – Hawaii Hilo's Punahele Jerky Company Inc. Invitational out at Waikoloa Beach Resort Golf finished up its first day of action with multiple teams mere strokes from one another including Menlo Women's Golf, who is led by freshman Zihe "Clara" Yuan in third overall, currently sitting in a tie for fifth with Simon Fraser while four strokes separate the Oaks from third place.

Yuan With Second-Most Birdies In Tournament After Opening Round
After delivering five consecutive pars to begin her round, Yuan recorded the first of what would be four birdies the rest of the way. There would be a few challenging holes as well, but the freshman finished on a strong note, carding a 1-over-par 71 and assuming sole possession of third place in the 56-golfer field.

The next two Oaks to contribute to the overall team score shared 18th with five others as sophomores Ester Otiepkova and Laura Goertzen each turned in a 7-over-par 77 with 12 pars apiece. The fourth Menlo qualifier was sophomore Kim Penzold who, fresh of her top-100 national ranking, bounced back from a tough start, either parring or birdying 12 of her last 13 holes toward an 8-over-par 78 that put her tied for 25th overall.

Up Next
Returning to Waikoloa Beach Resort Golf to complete the Punahele Jerky Company Inc. Invitational, Menlo will contest the second and final round tomorrow at 8 a.m. HT (11 a.m. PT).