Friday, March 13
Vero Beach, Fla.
All Day
Purdue Fort Wayne
at
NKU Spring Fling
Natalie Papa
Photo by: Josh Gales
Natalie Papa Leads Through 18 Holes at NKU Spring Fling
3/13/2026 9:14:00 PM | Women's Golf
VERO BEACH, Fla. - Through 18 holes at the NKU Spring Fling, Natalie Papa of the Purdue Fort Wayne women's golf team is all alone at the top of the leaderboard thanks to an opening round of 73 (+1).
Papa is playing the event as an individual. She started her day with three pars and a birdie in her first five holes. The birdie came on the 149-yard 14th. After two bogeys on 15 and 16, she was bogey-free for the remaining 11 holes. She birdied hole one after making the turn, finishing her day with eight pars in a row. Her 73 was four strokes better than her previous season-best.
Of those playing for the team score, Louise Ekesall turned in a team-best 77. She started her day with a birdie on the 357-yard first, using it to shoot even on the front. The sophomore Swede had four pars and a birdie on 17 to slide into the No. 9 spot in the standings.
Hunar Mittal is in 14th place after an opening round of 79. She had nothing worse than a bogey on the front nine and found two birdies on the back. She birdied 14 and 17, finishing 1-under in the last five holes.
Two strokes back of Mittal, Lillian Gottman is in 25th place with an 81. She also started her day with a birdie on hole one. Later on, she birdied the 339-yard 13th to go with nine pars.
Lara Dommach and Emily Gottman both shot 83 to tie for 35th. Dommach turned in eight pars with a birdie on the 385-yard 11th. Gottman had 10 pars.
Like Papa, Lillie Cone also played as an individual. She shot 88 thanks to six pars and a birdie on 16.
As a team, the Mastodons shot 320, three strokes back of the host Northern Kentucky Norse and 12 shots up on Detroit Mercy. St. John's is leading the field with a 309.
The Mastodons will begin tee times for round two at 11 a.m. on Saturday (March 14).
Papa is playing the event as an individual. She started her day with three pars and a birdie in her first five holes. The birdie came on the 149-yard 14th. After two bogeys on 15 and 16, she was bogey-free for the remaining 11 holes. She birdied hole one after making the turn, finishing her day with eight pars in a row. Her 73 was four strokes better than her previous season-best.
Of those playing for the team score, Louise Ekesall turned in a team-best 77. She started her day with a birdie on the 357-yard first, using it to shoot even on the front. The sophomore Swede had four pars and a birdie on 17 to slide into the No. 9 spot in the standings.
Hunar Mittal is in 14th place after an opening round of 79. She had nothing worse than a bogey on the front nine and found two birdies on the back. She birdied 14 and 17, finishing 1-under in the last five holes.
Two strokes back of Mittal, Lillian Gottman is in 25th place with an 81. She also started her day with a birdie on hole one. Later on, she birdied the 339-yard 13th to go with nine pars.
Lara Dommach and Emily Gottman both shot 83 to tie for 35th. Dommach turned in eight pars with a birdie on the 385-yard 11th. Gottman had 10 pars.
Like Papa, Lillie Cone also played as an individual. She shot 88 thanks to six pars and a birdie on 16.
As a team, the Mastodons shot 320, three strokes back of the host Northern Kentucky Norse and 12 shots up on Detroit Mercy. St. John's is leading the field with a 309.
The Mastodons will begin tee times for round two at 11 a.m. on Saturday (March 14).
~ Feel the Rumble ~
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