SAN DIEGO, Calif. --- Biola Women's Golf played its first round of competitive golf of the spring season on Monday morning as it completed the first half of competition at the Point Loma Reach Invitational.
 
The team traveled to Riverwalk Golf Club and competed in cold weather and on again, off again rain and finished the first 18 holes in the middle of the pack in 10^th place of the 15 teams competing.

"I feel good about our season opener after just one week of being back together as a team. This is a young group of players and every tournament they gain more experience to build on," said Head Coach Jane Carr.
 
Biola's five countable golfers combined to shoot 334 in the first round and is less than 10 strokes back from sitting as high as sixth place. Biola leads all NAIA and NCAA Division III teams in the tournament field, except for Cal Lutheran, who is just two strokes ahead.
 
Freshman Bella Larson led the way today by shooting a team-best 80. She is tied for 22^nd on the overall leaderboard, which has 78 total golfers.

"She is definitely an up and coming for Biola," said Carr.
 
Larson began her round with a birdie as she started on the par-four fourth hole. She'd add one more birdie and nine pars throughout the round to card a score three strokes lower than any other Eagle.

The 80 shot by Larson was three shots lower than her previous season low score. She averaged just over 86 during her four rounds in the fall. This was the 10^th round of 80 or lower from any Biola golfer this season.
 
After Larson came Tori Roeske (83), Mary Karnazes (85), Jenny Zhang (86) and Lauren Van Horn (87). Sam Burmeister also shot a great round, in the clubhouse at 86, but was playing as an unattached individual.
 
Zhang and Van Horn joined Larson as Eagles with more than one birdie, but they did not get as many pars, which resulted in the higher scores. The three players with two birdies were just two back from the tournament-leaders who had four a piece.

"Jenny Zhang is a quiet focused presence on the course and I know she will fight back tomorrow," said Carr. "Sam Burmeister is another steady freshman that simply needs more playing time at this level to really break through.  I know she is going to make a huge contribution to this team as she gets settled in."
 
The second round, and final round, of the tournament will have a shotgun start at 8:00 a.m. Tuesday.