Women's golf in fifth after opening round at Luther

DECORAH, Iowa – The Simpson women's golf team sits in fifth place after the first round of the Luther Fall Invitational from Oneota Golf & Country Club.

The Storm carded a 350 as a team, putting themselves in the middle of the eight-team field. Wartburg leads the field after shooting a 329, followed closely by Viterbo's 330.

Jennifer Gaffney closed the first day in seventh place after firing a team-low 83, four strokes off the pace set by Wartburg's Rochelle Beardsley. Jessica Lerdal's 84 contributed to a log-jammed, five-way tie for eighth.

Seven shots separate Lerdal from the Storm's No. 3 finisher, Stacy Bergeson. Bergeson shot a 91 to tie for 25th. Molly Hill (92) is tied for 28th and Holly Baiotto (97) is tied for 38th.

The tournament concludes Saturday.