Sheils starts strong

Columbus, Ohio - Nebraska women's golfer Madeleine Sheils got off to an impressive start with an even-par 72 to tie for fourth after the first round of the NCAA Central Regional at the Scarlet Course on Thursday.

Sheils, an at-large individual selection into the 126-player field at the NCAA Central Regional, produced her third consecutive round of par or better, after firing back-to-back rounds of 71 to close the Big Ten Tournament in a tie for third on April 29.

The senior from Boise, Idaho, teed off Hole No. 1 at 7:55 a.m. (Central) on Thursday and started strong with three straight pars before a birdie on the 453-yard, par-5, fourth hole of the Scarlet Course at Ohio State. She added two more pars before settling for a bogey on the 379-yard, par-4 seventh hole.

After a par on No. 8, Sheils notched her second birdie of the day on the 355-yard, par-4 ninth hole to take the turn with a one-under-par 35 on the front nine.

The first-team All-Big Ten selection managed the back-nine well with seven consecutive pars before settling for a bogey on the 157-yard, par-3, 17th hole. She closed the 54-hole tournament's opening round with a one-over 37 on the back nine, while carding 14 pars, two birdies and two bogeys for the day on 6,264-yard layout of the Scarlet Course.

Vanderbilt's Marina Alex heads into Friday's second round in first place after a two-under-par 70 on Thursday. Purdue's Paulo Reto and Florida State's Maria Salinas are tied for second at 71, while Sheils is in a four-way tie for fourth at 72.

Sheils, who is playing to earn an individual bid into the NCAA Championships in Franklin, Tenn., May 23-26, will tee off from Hole No. 10 on Friday at 12:15 p.m. (CT). The tournament will conclude with a final round on Saturday. Live scoring of the tournament is available from GolfStat.com.

NCAA Central Regional
May 10-12, 2012
Host: Ohio State
The Scarlet Course (Columbus, Ohio)
Par 72 / 6,264 Yards

Individual Standings (First Round)
1. Marina Alex, Vanderbilt - 70 (-2)
T2. Paula Reto, Purdue - 71 (-1)
T2. Maria Salinas, Florida State - 71 (-1)
T4. Madeleine Sheils, Nebraska - 72 (E)
T4. Ashley Armstrong, Notre Dame - 72 (E)
T4. Alex Buelow, Stetson - 72 (E)
T4. Doris Chen, USC - 72 (E)
T8. Becca Huffer, Notre Dame - 73 (+1)
T8. Rocio Sanchez Lobato, Georgia - 73 (+1)
T8. Lisa McCloskey, USC - 73 (+1)
T8. Tiffany Lim, Harvard - 73 (+1)

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