Oxford, Miss. ? After turning in its best finish of the 2008-2009 season, University of South Alabama’s women’s golf team now takes on an even tougher test in its final tune-up before the Sun Belt Conference tournament when it heads to the Ole Miss Lady Rebel Intercollegiate this weekend.

“We played our practice round today, and it’s a tough course,” head coach T.J. Jackson said. “It’s a great field, so we’re looking forward to continuing what we’ve been doing and hopefully improving as we go.”

For the first time this season, the Lady Jags will play in a three-day tournament. The Lady Rebel Intercollegiate is a 54-hole tournament with rounds of 18 on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Country Club of Oxford ? a par 72, 6,132 yard course.

Sunday’s final round is an 8 a.m. shotgun start, but the first two rounds have scheduled tee times beginning at the first hole at 7:45 a.m.

“We’ve got a little different format, but it’s a good format for us because it will set us up for the conference tournament,” Jackson said. “We’re looking forward to the tough test.”

Fourteen teams, including fellow SBC member Arkansas State, are scheduled to compete. Nina Offenberg, who took sixth last week at Southern Miss, is joined by Claudia Wolf, Darah Newell, Shirley Harvey and Ana Garcia to form USA’s lineup.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com.  Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).