SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Furman's Anna Morgan (E) is tied for sixth after Friday's opening round of the 2022 NCAA Championship, which is being contested this weekend at the par-72, 6,383 yard Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.

A native of Spartanburg, S.C., Morgan teed off of No. 10 and was 3-over after seven holes.  She bounced back with a birdie on No. 18 to turn at 2-over then played flawless golf on the front nine with birdies on No. 4 and No. 7 to finish with an even 72.  Morgan is four strokes back of individual leader Rose Zhang (-4) of Stanford, who fired a 68 in the opening round to pace the field by one stroke. 

Morgan will tee off on No. 1 at 8:20 a.m. PT (11:20 a.m. ET) in Saturday's second round and will play in a group that includes individuals Chiara Tamburlini of Ole Miss and Florida Atlantic's Letizia Bagnoli.

The 2022 SoCon Player of the Year, Morgan qualified for the national championship after firing a final-round 67, the sixth-best women's collegiate round at Karsten Creek, to finish fifth at the NCAA Stillwater Regional and advance in the top individual spot at the regional.  A two-time All-SoCon selection, she ranks 29th nationally after leading the league with a 72.19 stroke average over 32 rounds entering this weekend's championship.

A field of 24-teams and 12 individuals is playing 54 holes of stroke play over the course of three days, beginning Friday and continuing through Sunday.  The top 15 teams and nine individuals not on an advancing team will then play one additional round of stroke play on Monday.  An individual champion will be crowned after 72 holes of competition. 

Top-ranked Stanford (+1) holds a three-stroke lead over 19th-ranked Texas A&M (+4), while No. 15 UCLA (+7) sits in third place after Friday's first round.

Live scoring of the NCAA Championship is available at www.golfstat.com or by logging onto www.furmanpaladins.com.  The Golf Channel will provide prime time coverage of the tournament beginning on Monday.