GOODYEAR, Ariz. --- The Eagles opened up their weekend competition with a 304 team score for seventh place. The pool of 20 teams included No. 4 Texas A&M-Commerce, No. 9 Point Loma, No. 16 Oklahoma Christian and No. 18 West Texas A&M. 

Sami Penor led the Biola squad on the day, carding a round of 73 at one-over par. The junior was impressive from the start, going even through the first eight holes.

Tragedy struck on the ninth hole, as Penor accidentally struck a teammate's ball instead of her own, incurring a two-stroke penalty. A common mistake was a minor setback for the determined junior.

Penor responded with poise, posting birdies on two of her last four holes of the round. The strong play pushed Penor back up the leaderboard and into eighth place, individually.

Freshman Mary Grace Davidson was not far behind, coming in just one stroke back of Penor at 74. The young talent stepped up on the greens, displaying a disciplined putting game on Friday. A two-over showing for Davidson placed her in a tie for 12th place on the individual leaderboard.

"Davidson continues to make a huge contribution to our travel team," said head coach Jane Carr. "One of her goals has been to have a round with no three putts and she accomplished that today."

Another BU golfer with grit, Rachel Reynolds, refused to relent on the course on Friday. The senior struggled to get out of a sand bunker on hole 7 but regained her composure and completed the hole with confidence.

"I'm really proud of the way Rachel has matured as a golfer," added Carr. "It takes resilience to step out of a bunker after two failed attempts, pull your emotions together and execute the shot."

Reynolds notched a 78 score on the day, placing her tied for 39th, individually.

Completing the team score for Biola, Jules Loibl came in next for the Eagles at 79 and Sophia Karnazes at 82.

BU also added a competitor as an individual, as Brady Turnquist offered a round of five-over par. The freshman began the day with a birdie and grabbed two total to keep her within the top-30 golfers after the first round of the classic.

Biola will complete the RJGA Palm Valley on Saturday.