ORANGE CITY—Navigating stiff winds on wide-open terrain, the Central College women's golf team opened in second place in the 15-team, 36-hole Siouxland Invitational Wednesday.
           
Just a shot behind first-place Morningside College, the Dutch shot 324 at the par-72 Landsmeer Golf Club. Northwestern College, which is co-hosting the tourney with Dordt College, is third at 330 and American Rivers foe Nebraska Wesleyan University stands 12th at 385. Central and Nebraska Wesleyan are the only Division III schools in the field.
           
Mackenzie Biggs (senior, Bloomington, Ill., Normal HS) shot 77 and is tied for third indidually. Kelsey Heath of Mount Marty University (S.D.) leads with 75.
           
"Mackenzie played really well," coach Tabitha Schumacher said. "There were only four players who broke 80 today, so to have Mackenzie shoot 77 really helped."
           
Lydia Grond (junior, Hull, Boyden-Hull HS) and Rachel Sohn (senior, Sutherland, South O'Brien HS) shot 82, Peyton Bytnar (senior, Bettendorf) shot 83 and Avery Woods (senior, Long Grove, North Scott HS) had 91.
           
"Lydia (Grond) had a 10 on a hole and still shot 82," Schumacher said. "She ended up even par the rest of the way."
           
At-large entrant Parker Stout (junior, Lowden, North Cedar) shot 85, Mickey Martens (freshman, Villa Park, Ill., Willowbrook HS) shot 94 and Jaden Smith (sophomore, Marengo, Iowa Valley HS) shot 95.
           
While the course is largely treeless, trouble was abundant.
           
"It's a really nice course but it's definitely a lot more difficult than where we played at Pheasant Ridge (in Cedar Falls last weekend)," Schumacher said. "There's a lot of water, a lot of no mow and fescue areas and the wind was blowing easily 20 miles per hour most of the day. So, overall, I felt like we played pretty well, all things considered."
           
The tourney moves to the Ridge Golf Club in nearby Sioux Center for Thursday's final round. Northwest Iowa natives Grond and Sohn are the only Central players who have seen the course previously.
           
"We have some course notes from Rachel and Lydia but it's one of those things where you've just got to figure out the greens, pick a target when you hit a shot and see what happens," Schumacher said.