ARLINGTON, Texas – The University of South Alabama women's golf team continues its three-tournament road swing Monday and Tuesday as it travels to the Walnut Creek Country Club for the UT Arlington Invitational.
The eight-team field will play 36 holes Monday and 18 holes Tuesday. Play begins with shotgun starts at 8:30 a.m. each day.
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
Event (Host): 2018 UT Arlington Invitational (UTA)
Dates: Oct. 22-23 (Monday-Tuesday)
Format: 54 holes (36/18)
Start Time: 8:30 a.m. shotgun starts Monday and Tuesday
Course: Walnut Creek Country Club – Pecan Course (par 71, 6,015 yds)
Live Results
THE FIELD (8)
Arkansas State, Incarnate Word, Little Rock, Sam Houston State, South Alabama, Southern Utah, Stephen F. Austin, UT Arlington
THE JAGUAR LINEUP
-Caroline Berge (So., Hundvag, Stavanger, Norway; 5 rds, 75.20 avg.; 1T10; 1 rd =/- par in 2018-19)
-Julie Hovland (So., Bergen, Norway; 5 rds, 72.40 avg.; 2 T10; 2 rds =/- par in 2018-19)
-Nele Mattner** (Fr., Braunschweig, Germany; 5 rds, 77.00 avg.; 1 rd =/- par in 2018-19)
-MacKenzie Peyton (Sr., New Castle, Ky.; 5 rds, 74.60 avg.; 1 T20; 1 rd =/- par in 2018-19)
-Siti Shaari (So., Subangjaya, Malaysia; 5 rds, 74.00 avg.; 1 T10; 1 rd =/- par in 2018-19)
-Lexi Worrell (Sr., Milton, Fla.; 5 rds, 75.20 avg.; 1T10; 1 rd =/- par in 2018-19)
**Competing as an individual
TEE SHOTS
-Sophomore Caroline Berge picked up her first Sun Belt Women's Golf Athlete of the Week honor after shooting a 5-over-par 149 at the ULM Fred Marx Invitational. The score led golfers competing as individuals and tied for eighth overall.
-Three other Jaguars picked up top-15 finishes at the ULM Fred Marx Invitational: Julie Hovland, Siti Shaari, and Lexi Worrell tied for eighth overall with a two-round total of 149, while MacKenzie Peyton tied for 14th after shooting a 6-over-par 150.
-Hovland leads the Jaguars with an average of 72.40 strokes per round and two top-10 finishes in two tournaments this season.
-This is the first time that the USA women's golf program will compete at the Walnut Creek Country Club.
THEY SAID IT
Head Coach Matt Luther
On the focus in practice this week: "We've been looking at stats from this past weekend and hitting the reset button on fundamentals. We only had a couple days of practice, so it's been just making sure the simple stuff is in order: ball position, alignment, and a couple of things based on how we did last week individually. With such a short turnaround, there's not a whole lot of time for changes; we're not reinventing the wheel in three days."
On preparing for a course that no one on the team has ever played: "We've actually got a new targeting strategy. We take Google Earth images of courses we haven't been to – this is one I haven't been to either – and pick tee shots based on those images. We've done this at home and it has worked well, we've done it at a course we played last year and it has worked well, and now we're going to a course that nobody has ever seen. It should work well, but we'll see."
On the team's chemistry and confidence: "I think it's good. Everybody was kind of disappointed we didn't get to play our last round in Monroe (Louisiana), which was good. Everybody wanted to go out and play in the bad weather; we felt like we could win. I think it's a good lesson to learn. We went on the road and played well. I think everybody feels like we should go out and win the next two tournaments."
On Berge's Sun Belt Athlete of the Week honor: "She's definitely hitting it better. We could have picked any of four players who could have been player of the week this week, which is a great problem to have. We don't have one superstar or all-American, but we don't have anyone who is an issue. We have a lot of depth. Two weeks of the season and two different athletes of the week from our team, and it could have easily been three or four. I think that's great."
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.
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