BIRMINGHAM, ALA. — Maria Fassi fired a one-under 71 leading Arkansas to fourth-place after round one action at the 2019 SEC Championship in Birmingham, Alabama, on Wednesday.
Fassi’s 71 was part of a 3-over 291 for Arkansas and has the defending champions just seven shots back of the lead with two rounds of stroke play remaining.
The stroke play portion of the event determines the individual champion as well as the seeding for match play. Match play will decide the team title.
The Arkansas All-American had an eventful day on the Legends Course at Greystone Golf and Country Club. She birdied Nos. 6 and 7 and turned 2-under.
Fassi bogeyed No. 10 and doubled No. 12 moving to 1-over with six holes remaining. She rallied to birdie No. 14 and the closing hole at No. 18 getting up and down from the bunker for her 71.
She is three shots out of the lead.
Senior Kaylee Benton, who won her 18th hole to clinch the title match last year, is currently T14 overall with an even par 72. Senior Dylan Kim is tied for 19th, shooting 73, and freshman Ximena Gonzalez is tied for 36th with a 75.
Redshirt freshman Brooke Matthews rounds out the Razorback scores and is tied for 54th with a first-day 77.
Twelfth-ranked Florida and No. 14 Auburn are tied for the lead with 4-under 284’s. No. 11 South Carolina is third with 287 followed by Arkansas at 291. Georgia rounds out the top five with a 5-over 293.
Razorback lineup
| T6 | Maria Fassi (1) | 71 | -1 |
| T14 | Kaylee Benton (2) | 72 | E |
| T19 | Dylan Kim (3) | 73 | +1 |
| T36 | Ximena Gonzalez (5) | 75 | +3 |
| T54 | Brooke Matthews (4) | 77 | +5 |
The field
| T1 | No. 12 Florida | 284 | -4 |
| T1 | No. 14 Auburn | 284 | -4 |
| 3 | No. 11 South Carolina | 287 | -1 |
| 4 | No. 6 Arkansas | 291 | +3 |
| 5 | No. 40 Georgia | 293 | +5 |
| T6 | No 41 Tennessee | 294 | +6 |
| T6 | No. 47 Mississippi St. | 294 | +6 |
| 8 | No. 4 Vanderbilt | 296 | +8 |
| 9 | No. 35 Ole Miss | 298 | +10 |
| T10 | Missouri | 299 | +11 |
| T10 | LSU | 299 | +11 |
| 12 | Texas A&M | 300 | +12 |
| 13 | No. 36 Alabama | 301 | +13 |
| 14 | Kentucky | 304 | +16 |
