July 28, 2006

Romeoville, Ill. – South Carolina women’s golfer Jenna Pearson advanced to the final round at the 12^th annual Illinois Women’s Open Championship after a solid second round score of 68 moved her past seven players and into fourth place at the par-72, 5,941-yard Mistwood Golf Course in Romeoville, Ill.

Pearson enters the final round of the tournament only four shots from the lead after surviving the first two cuts with a four-under-par score of 72-68=140. Having shot an even par in an opening round that was delayed twice by tornado warnings, Pearson found her stroke in the round two to tie a low round score of 68.

Only three players managed to record subpar rounds on the day, led by Pearson and leader Sara Brown, a junior at Michigan State University. None of the top six low scorers from the first round could improve on their numbers in round two. Pearson had the second best improvement on the day with a minus-4 differential between rounds.

“Today we played the [par-3] No.14 from the high back tees, which gives you an angle that brings the lake more into play between yourself and the green,” Pearson said in attributing the drop-offs to tougher pin locations in round two.

Final round play will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday with Pearson’s tee time set for 11:57 a.m.

The Illinois Women’s Open, the 54-hole state championship of golf, is open to women professionals and amateurs age 17 and over who reside in or are enrolled in a college or university in Illinois, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota and Wisconsin.