MONROE, La. – The University of South Alabama women's golf team is set to compete in the ULM Fred Marx Invitational Monday and Tuesday at the Bayou DeSiard Country Club.
 
The nine-team field will play 36 holes Monday and 18 holes Tuesday. Play begins with shotgun starts at 8:15 a.m. each day.
 
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
Event (Host): 2018 ULM Fred Marx Invitational (ULM)
Dates: Oct. 15-16 (Monday-Tuesday)
Format: 54 holes (36/18)
Start Time: 8:15 a.m. shotgun starts Monday and Tuesday 
Course: Bayou DeSiard Country Club (par 72, 6,114 yds)
 
THE FIELD (9)
Austin Peay, Lamar, Lipscomb, ULM, Murray State, North Alabama, Prairie View, South Alabama, Tennessee Tech
 
THE JAGUAR LINEUP
-Siti Shaari (So., Subangjaya, Malaysia; 3 rds, 73.67 avg.; 1 rd =/- par in 2018-19)
-Julie Hovland (So., Bergen, Norway; 3 rds, 71.00 avg.; 1 T10; 2 rds =/- par in 2018-19)
-Lexi Worrell (Sr., Milton, Fla.; 3 rds, 75.67 avg. in 2018-19)
-Nele Mattner (Fr., Braunschweig, Germany; 3 rds, 74.33 avg.; 1 rd =/- par in 2018-19)
-MacKenzie Peyton (Sr., New Castle, Ky.; 3 rds, 74.33 avg.; 1 rd =/- par in 2018-19)
-Caroline Berge** (So., Hundvag, Stavanger, Norway; 3 rds, 75.67 avg. in 2018-19)
 
**Competing as an individual
 
TEE SHOTS
-Julie Hovland leads the team with a 71.00 strokes per round average and two rounds below par after the team's only competition this fall, the USA Invitational. The fifth-place finish earned the sophomore her first Sun Belt Women's Golf Athlete of the Week honor.
-South Alabama had the highest finish among six Sun Belt teams at the USA Invitational, placing eighth in the 17-team field.
-USA will close out the fall schedule at three conference tournaments over the next three weeks: the ULM Fred Marx Invitational (Oct. 15-16), the UT Arlington Invitational (Oct. 22-23), and the Little Rock Golf Classic (Oct. 28-30).
-Three Jaguars (Siti Shaari, Caroline Berge, and Hovland) earned top-20 finishes at the 2017 ULM Fred Marx Invitational.
 
THEY SAID IT
Head Coach Matt Luther
On the team's preparation over the last month: "There's been a lot of short-game stuff, a lot of targeting up the tee and into greens. I think that's going to matter a lot at ULM as scores are generally pretty high, so pars are at a premium. There's been a lot of hitting it in a place where it's easy to make par from."
 
On the mentality after coming back from a month-long break and traveling to three consecutive tournaments: "That's a different strategy for us; it's basically like having an off season to start the year. We got a lot of work done. I'm not 100 percent sure how well it's going to go. It could be fantastic. We could win the next three easily, but we'll see. We're all learning."
 
On weather conditions: "All the weather does is make things harder. Everybody plays in the same weather, so it becomes about managing what we're doing. We talk about that all the time, so it shouldn't be any drama for us."
 
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—