WEST COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Audrey Ryu (-6) fired a 6-under 66, the best round in the history of the SoCon Championship, to establish a new women's course record and pace the Furman (+7) women's golf team to an eight-stroke lead Monday in the opening day of the 2025 Southern Conference Women's Golf Championship at the par-72, 6,098 yard Solina Golf Club.
A sophomore from Dublin, Ohio, Ryu teed off on No. 1 and birdied two of her first three holes. She added an additional birdie on No. 9 to turn at 2-under then eagled the par-5 No. 11 to distance herself from the competition. Ryu concluded the round with three-straight birdies from No. 15 through No. 17 to take a seven-shot lead over three golfers who are tied for second after the opening round.
"I knew that this course was going to be really tough, but I tried to take things one hole at a time today," said Ryu. "I went for the green on No. 11 and left myself a really hard chip, but I ended up having the perfect chip for eagle. Some days you know that everything is going in, and when I made that eagle, I knew today was one of those days, so I decided to enjoy it and have a good time, and that put me in the right mindset for the rest of the round."
The Paladins have four players among the top 19, including senior Alise Knudson (+3) who birdied No. 3 and No. 14 to finish the day tied for seventh with a 75. Freshman Jenna Madden (+4) is one stroke back of Knudson and tied for 12th after carding a 76 with birdies on No. 3 and No. 6. Sophomore Kelsi Mauzy (+6) posted a 78 with a birdie on No. 6 to tie for 19th, and freshman Eva Ringwald (+9) is in 30th place after shooting an 81 with a birdie on No. 11.
Furman, which is seeking its 21st SoCon title, leads UNCG (+15) by eight strokes with two rounds to play. Chattanooga (+18) sits in third, while Wofford (+23) is in fourth place. East Tennessee State (+24) and Mercer (+24) are tied for fifth.
The 54-hole tournament continues on Tuesday with teams teeing off of No. 1 and No. 10 beginning at 8:30 a.m. Furman will tee off on No. 1 beginning at 9:20 a.m. and will play in a group with UNC Greensboro and Chattanooga.
The winner of the SoCon Championship will earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, while the individual champion will also earn automatic regional qualification. The NCAA field will be announced live on the Golf Channel on Wed., April 23, at 1 p.m.
1 Furman 295 +7
1st Audrey Ryu 66 -6
T7th Alise Knudson 75 +3
T12th Jenna Madden 76 +4
T19th Kelsi Mauzy 78 +6
30 Eva Ringwald 81 +9
