SOUTH BEND — The birdies were flying at South Bend Country Club – the second “home,” if you will, for Notre Dame graduates Becca Huffer and Lauren Beaudreau — during Friday’s opening round of the Epson Tour’s $262,500 Four Winds Invitational.
The 34-year-old Huffer, a 2012 graduate, and 23-year-old Beaudreau, who earned her master’s degree this past May while playing for coach Caroline Ellis’ Irish, each shot four-under 68s Friday morning on the 6,414-yard course eight miles west of Notre Dame’s Warren Golf Course.
“I had a really good ball-striking day — I was never really out of position – so it was a very comfortable round,” said Beaudreau, who is playing in her maiden professional tournament after making it through the first round of LPGA Q-School and had five birdies and just one bogey. “My game is in good shape. This is a golf course I’m comfortable with.”
Epson Tour:8 players to watch at Four Winds Invitational
Huffer and Beaudreau were four strokes behind first-round leader Lindsey McCurdy, who had a bogey-free morning round of 64, which included six birdies and an eagle.
The 29-year-old McCurdy, who is from Kyle, Texas, and played collegiately at Southern Methodist, was one stroke ahead of Arkansas’ Brooke Matthews, whose afternoon round of 65 included five birdies and an eagle at the 517-yard 12th.
At 66 was 24-year-old Heather Lin of Chinese Taipei, who was a stroke ahead of 19-year-old Fiona Xu of New Zealand, China’s Yahui Zhang and 27-year-old Lauren Stephenson of Lexington, S.C., going into Saturday’s second round in the tournament, which concludes Sunday and pays $39,375 to the champion.
A year ago here, Huffer almost earned the winner’s check, finishing tied for second with Kate Smith-Stroh at nine-under 207, three strokes behind winner Gabriela Ruffels of Australia. Huffer, who later in 2023 earned playing status on the LPGA Tour after Q-School, bogeyed her first hole Friday, the 166-yard, par-3 10th but then rebounded with five birdies at Nos. 12, 15, 16, 1 and 9.
On a day for low scoring, 42 golfers in the field of 132 shot under par 72 with another eight golfers matching it.
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Epson Tour Four Winds Invitational Day 1 results
SOUTH BEND – Results from Friday’s first round in the $262,500 Four Winds Invitational, the 15th event on the LPGA Epson Tour, being played at the par-72, 6,414-yard South Bend Country Club:
64 (-8): Lindsey McCurdy, Kyle, Texas.
65 (-7): Brooke Matthews, Rogers, Ark.
66 (-6): Heather Lin, Chinese Taipei.
67 (-5): Fiona Xu, New Zealand; Lauren Stephenson, Lexington, S.C.; Yahui Zhang, China.
68 (-4): Lauren Beaudreau, Marco Island, Fla.; Becca Huffer, Denver, Colo.; Riley Smyth, Tequesta, Fla.; Brianna Do, Lakewood, Calif.
69 (-3): Saki Baba, Japan; Savannah Vilaubi, Downey, Calif.; Kendra Dalton, Wake Forest, N.C.; Sarah White, Grand Rapids, Mich.; Crystal Wang, Diamond Bar, Calif.
70 (-2): Anne Chen, Sugar Land, Texas; Ji Eun Baik, Cumming, Ga.; Cynthia Lu, Chinese Taipei; Amanda Doherty, Atlanta, Ga.; Yu-Sang Hou, Chinese Taipei; Tristyn Stasi, Richmond, Ky.; Jillian Hollis, Rocky River, Ohio; Haylee Harford, Leavittsburg, Ohio; Maddie McCrary, Wylie, Texas; Fatima Fernandez Cano, Spain.
71 (-1): Jackie Lucena, Chico, Calif.; Sarah Rhee, Seattle, Wash.; Lilly Russell, Bentonville, Ark.; Yurika Tanida, Japan; Emma Broze, France; Riley Rennell, Columbia, Tenn.; Alexa Melton, Covina, Calif.; Annika Borrelli, Alamo, Calif.; Nicole Lorup, Denmark; Julia Johnson, Oxford, Miss.; Beatrice Wallin, Sweden; Minori Nagano, Japan; Amy Lee, Brea, Calif.; Clariss Guce, Artesia, Calif.; Annabelle Pancake, Zionsville, Ind.; Sophie Hausmann, Germany; Charlotte Heath, England; Angelica Moresco, Italy.
72 (E): Chakansim Khamborn, Thailand; Leah John, Vancouver, B.C.; Tomita Arejola, Philippines; Kim Kaufman, Clark, S.D.; Valery Plata, Colombia; Soo Bin Joo, Republic of Korea; Vivian Hou, Chinese Taipei; Ana Belac, Slovenia.
73 (+1): Gabby Lemieux, Caldwell, Idaho; Jennie Park, Dallas, Texas; Jenny Bae, Suwanee, Ga.; Michelle Zhang, China; Miranda Wang, China; Briana Chacon, Whittier, Calif.; Juliana Hung, Chinese Taipei; Kristin Coleman, Rolling Hills Estates, Calif.; Samantha Troyanovich, Grosse Pointe, Mich.; Amari Avery, Riverside, Calif.; Christine Wang, Houston, Texas; Gabriella Then, Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.; Keera Foocharoen, Thailand; Hailee Cooper, Montgomery, Texas; Mariah Stackhouse, Riverdale, Ga.; Kumkang Park, Republic of Korea; Daniela Iacobelli, Melbourne, Fla.; Lei Ye, China; Kaleigh Telfer, South Africa; Samantha Wagner, Windermere, Fla.; Cassie Porter, Australia; Amelia Lewis, Jacksonville, Fla.; Jessica Porvasnik, Hinckley, Ohio; Britney Yada, Hilo, Hawaii; Bi Shin, Republic of Korea; Jessica Peng, Chinese Taipei; Amelia Garvey, New Zealand.
74 (+2): Carley Cox Pruette, China Grove, N.C.; Sabrina Iqbal, San Jose, Calif.; Brigitte Thibault, Montreal, Que.; Michaela Finn, Sweden; Pinyada Kuvanun, Thailand; Kate Smith-Stroh, Detroit Lakes, Minn.; Elizabeth Wang, San Marino, Calif.; Alyaa Abdulghany, Newport Beach, Calif.; Ou Olankitkunchai, Abilene, Texas; Yue Zhang, China; Alice Duan, Reno, Nev.; Jessica Welch, Thomasville, Ga.; Ashley Lau, Malaysia; Kenzie Wright, McKinney, Texas; Sarah Edwards, Jay, Fla.; Pauline Del Rosario, Philippines.
75 (+3): Mikayla Fitzpatrick, Phoenix, Ariz.; Jieni Li, China; Marissa Wenzler, Dayton, Ohio; Marissa Chow, Honolulu, Hawaii; Julie Houston, Allen, Texas; Teresa Toscano, Spain; Mariel Galdiano, Pearl City, Hawaii; Therese Warner, Kennewick, Wash.; Siri Patchana, Thailand; Antonia Malate, Seaside, Calif.; Erica Smith, Orlando, Fla.; Lauren Cox, Orange, Texas; Madison Young, Canton, Ga.
76 (+4): Kathleen Scavo, Benicia, Calif.; Dana Fall, Chandler, Ariz.; Alexis Phadungmartvorakul, Bakersfield, Calif.; Maria Torres, San Juan, Puerto Rico; Amelia Williamson, England; Lakareber Abe, The Woodlands, Texas; Alexis Miestowski, Schererville, Ind.; Siyun Liu, China.
77 (+5): Rachel Rohanna, Marianna, Pa.; Jennifer Rosenberg, Syosset, N.Y.; Karen Chung, Livingston, N.J.; Jiaze Sun, China; Samantha Vodry, Little Elm, Texas; Anne Yu, China; Vicky Hurst, Melbourne, Fla.; Dorsey Addicks, Big Sky, Mont.
78 (+6): Yeji Kwon, Port Coquitlam, B.C.; Emilee Hoffman, Folsom, Calif.; Su Oh, Australia; Milagros Chaves, Paraguay; Maddison Hinson-Tolchard, Australia.
79 (+7): Min-G Kim, Republic of Korea; Erica Shepherd, Greenwood, Ind.
WD: Tzu-Yi Chang, Chinese Taipei; Shuangshuang Fan, China.
