After three weeks in and out of town, Augusta State golfer Lauren Smith said she's glad to be back in her own bed this week.
It makes for more comfortable surroundings while sleeping on a lead.
Smith's 1-under-par 71 - the only round to break par on the day - at Forest Hills on Monday led Augusta State's four rounds in the 70s in the first round of the America's Choice Mortgage Lady Jaguar Invitational, good enough for an eight-shot lead on Notre Dame going into today's final round.
A victory would be the third in a row for the Lady Jaguars. They rallied on the final day for a pair of wins in North Carolina, but they'll have to defend their home turf from the top this time.
"There's a little more (pressure)," Smith said. "We're expected to win with what we've done. But you've got a lot of people cheering for us."
Smith's round was a surprise in some ways. The redshirt senior had slumped in the past three events, leading coach Trelle McCombs into a sitdown session with one of her leaders.
"Since that second tournament, she hadn't played up to her potential," McCombs said. "We sat down, talked, hashed a few things out, and she's back on track."
Playing from the No. 4 spot in the lineup, Smith stood 2-over after three holes. She quickly got back to even par with birdies on Nos. 4 and 6, then closed with 11 pars and a birdie on No. 14 over the tricky greens and firm conditions at Forest Hills.
"That's where we have the home advantage," Smith said. "You have to know where to miss it here."
Smith was followed by Amanda Smith's 75 and a pair of 78s from Emilie Geury and Garrett Phillips to shoot 14-over 302.
Individually, Lauren Smith leads the field by three. Adding in Patti Hogeboom's 77 and Kristen Bragg's 79, the Lady Jaguars put six players in the top 20.
The Fighting Irish were led by 74 from Noriko Nakazaki and 76 from Katie Brophy.
It's Augusta State's first lead since the season-opening event at Alabama, an experience that didn't end well. The team shot a final-round 316 to tie for second.
"They like chasing vs. being chased," McCombs said. "But I think they learned their lesson from Alabama."
McCombs said the team has compared its final three events of the fall to a three-round tournament. Rounds 1 and 2 ended in wins. And at the turn in Round 3, things are looking good again.
"To get off to a good start is big for us," Lauren Smith said. "If we have a good lead and we get off to a good start tomorrow, we'll be OK."
- Today's final round will be a shotgun start at 9 a.m. Augusta State will be paired with Notre Dame and Arkansas State off tees Nos. 1, 2 and 3.
Reach Dan Spears at (706) 823-3349 or dan.spears@augustachronicle.com.
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