Highland’s Julia Stevenson shot 1 under par 71 on Monday to take the lead in the first round of the GAM Women’s Championship at Muskegon Country Club.
Stevenson, a recent graduate from Eastern Michigan who is returning to Ypsilanti to earn her Masters, was the only player in the 76 women’s field to break par.
“I try not to make it harder than it needs to be,” said Stevenson, 22. It’s definitely a tough course, so I focused on the fairway, tried to hit all the greens and always thought about where I wanted my next shot to be. “
West Bloomfield’s Mikaela Schultz and Midland’s Kim Dinh were in second place after matching parity with 72. Schultz will play for Michigan in the fall and Dinh is a former Wisconsin golfer who recently earned her Ph.D. in chemistry from MIT.
Yurika Tanida of East Lansing, former Michigan State golfer who was last year’s GAM Women’s Player of the Year, came in fourth at 73 with 16-year-old Olivia Stoll of Haslett, daughter of MSU women’s coach Stacy Slobodnik- Stoll.
Anna Kramer, who won the Michigan Women’s Amateur last month, was among several players who shot 75. Kramer works at Muskegon CC.
“It was a good day,” Stevenson said. “I love playing in tournaments. I keep trying to win one, keep it simple and try my best every round. “
The winner will be crowned after the second round on Tuesday.
Click here to see full scores and second round tee times.
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