March 30, 2012

TEMPE, Ariz. - Junior Sally Watson and sophomore Marissa Mar shot three-under rounds of 68 to pace Stanford into a tied for second place after the first round of the PING/ASU Invitational being held in Tempe, Ariz.

The Cardinal shot an even par 284 on the day and is tied with top-ranked UCLA for second, as both squads trail first place Arizona State by four strokes after the host Sun Devils opened with a 280 on Friday.

Watson got off to a blazing start, collecting birdies on three of her first five holes. After making her only bogey of the day on No. 12, Watson picked up another birdie on No. 17 to close with a 68.

After making birdies on holes No. 15 and 16, Mar eagled the par-5 17th hole and finished with a 68.

Watson and Mar are tied for third place on the leaderboard, one stroke behind co-leaders Bethany Calvo of UNLV and Justine Lee of Arizona State, who each shot rounds of 67 on Friday.

Freshman Mariko Tumangan picked up three birdied on the back side and shot an even par 71 and is tied for 13th place.

Kristina Wong is tied for 69th after an opening round 77.

Sydney Burlison, playing as an individual, is tied for 80th after shooting an 80, while senior Lila Barton is teid for 89th after an opening round 82.