MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama women's golf team returns from a two-week break Monday to compete in its final regular-season event, Lamar University's Cardinal Challenge in Beaumont, Texas.
Four teams will compete in a match play tournament. USA will face Stephen F. Austin and Lamar will take on Texas A&M-Corpus Christi in the morning round. The winners of those two matches will play a championship round and the other two teams will play a consolation round in the afternoon.
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
Event (Host): Cardinal Challenge (Lamar)
Dates: April 9 (Monday)
Format: 36 holes (18/18)
Start Time: 7:45 a.m.
Course: Beaumont Country Club (par 71, 6,008 yds)
THE FIELD (4)
Lamar, South Alabama, Stephen F. Austin, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi
THE JAGUAR LINEUP
-Caroline Berge (Fr., Hundvag, Stavanger, Norway; 22 rds, 77.64 avg.; 1 T10, 4 T20; 3 rds =/- par in 2017-2018)
-Madison Connell (Sr., Murray, Ky.; 13 rds, 74.54 avg.; 3 T10; 5 rds =/- par in 2017-18)
-Julie Hovland (Fr., Bergen, Norway; 25 rds, 76.36 avg.; 2 T10, 3 T20; 4 rds =/- par in 2017-18)
-MacKenzie Peyton (Jr., New Castle, Ky.; 25 rds, 77.12 avg.; 1 T10, 1 T20; 2 rds =/- par in 2017-18)
-Siti Shaari (Fr., Subangjaya, Malaysia; 25 rds, 73.76 avg.; 6 T10, 1 T20; 12 rds =/- par in 2017-18)
TEE SHOTS
- The Jaguars took third place in the 25th Annual John Kirk Panther Intercollegiate March 25-27. Freshmen Siti Shaari and Julie Hovland tied for third and eighth, respectively, in a field of 87 competitors.
-USA currently holds the runner-up spot in this season's Sun Belt standings with a 301.08 average score. The team is ranked 104th out of 258 schools on the NCAA Division I performance list.
-Shaari received her second Sun Belt Conference Women's Golf Athlete of the Week honor two days after shooting a three-over-par 219 and leading the Jaguars to a third-place team finish at the 25th Annual John Kirk Panther Intercollegiate. She is second in the league's season rankings.
-A 74.54 average score puts Madison Connell fifth in the conference individual rankings. She played even on par-5 holes and carded five birdies to tie for 21st at the Panther Intercollegiate.
-Hovland has earned two top-10 finishes in the past two tournaments and carries a 72.83 average over the last six rounds. She is 19th on the conference individual performance list.
-MacKenzie Peyton's three-over-par 219 score at the Bama Beach Bash March 16-18 was her lowest tournament total and first top-10 finish of the year (T6).
-Caroline Berge shot a 229, her best three-round total of the spring, at the Bama Beach Bash and finished tied for 15th.
THEY SAID IT
Head Coach Matt Luther
On performance at the Panther Intercollegiate… "We had a solid week in Georgia. We fought through some tough conditions and finished much higher there than we ever have."
On keeping the team focused through the end of the regular season… "We will keep doing what we do. We're young, we're learning and we're going to go out and play with intention and process-driven goals."
On playing at a new course and facing different course conditions… "We've been playing two or three freshmen in the line-up all year, so there's not a lot of course familiarity. This is a new one for all of us, but I'm from southeast Texas and I've played enough golf there to know what to expect as far as turf conditions, especially around the greens. It will be good preparation for conference and regionals."
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/WeAreSouth_JAGS. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
Join the Chip In Club, the women's golf specific support club of the Jaguar Athletic Fund. All donations to the Chip In Club go directly to support the South Alabama women's golf program. For more information on how you can join visit: jaguarathleticfund.com/chipinclub.
—USA—
