HOT SPRINGS VILLAGE, Ark. – The University of South Alabama women's golf team will conclude its fall schedule with the 2018 Little Rock Golf Classic Sunday through Tuesday at the Diamante Country Club.
The tournament features 17 teams and will be played in an 18/18/18 format with 8:30 a.m. tee times Sunday and Monday and an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start Tuesday.
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
Event (Host): 2018 Little Rock Golf Classic (Little Rock)
Dates: Oct. 28-30 (Sunday-Tuesday)
Format: 54 holes (18/18/18)
Start Time: 8:30 a.m. tee time starts Sunday and Monday; 8:30 a.m. shotgun start Tuesday
Course: Diamante Country Club (par 72, 6,076 yds)
Live Results
THE FIELD (17)
Arkansas State, Central Arkansas, Houston Baptist, Jacksonville State, Lamar, Little Rock, ULM, McNeese, UMKC, Missouri State, Northern Iowa, South Alabama, Stephen F. Austin, UT Arlington, UTEP, Utah Valley, Western Kentucky
THE JAGUAR LINEUP
-Caroline Berge (So., Hundvag, Stavanger, Norway; 8 rds, 74.63 avg.; 2 T10; 1 rd =/- par in 2018-19)
-Julie Hovland (So., Bergen, Norway; 8 rds, 73.38 avg.; 3 T10; 2 rds =/- par in 2018-19)
-Nele Mattner** (Fr., Braunschweig, Germany; 8 rds, 79.25 avg.; 1 rd =/- par in 2018-19)
-MacKenzie Peyton (Sr., New Castle, Ky.; 8 rds, 75.00 avg.; 2 T20; 1 rd =/- par in 2018-19)
-Siti Shaari (So., Subangjaya, Malaysia; 8 rds, 73.38 avg.; 2 T10; 2 rds =/- par in 2018-19)
-Lexi Worrell (Sr., Milton, Fla.; 8 rds, 76.63 avg.; 1T10; 1 rd =/- par in 2018-19)
**Competing as an individual
TEE SHOTS
-USA won last week's UT Arlington Invitational and currently sits atop the Sun Belt Conference rankings with a combined scoring average of 295.88.
-Julie Hovland and Siti Shaari hold identical 73.38 scoring averages and are tied for third in the individual conference standings. They are the only two Jaguars to have all eight of their rounds counted toward the team score and have each played two rounds at or below par.
-Caroline Berge shot an 8-over-par 221 at last week's UT Arlington Invitational to claim her first career top-5 finish.
-South Alabama last competed in the Little Rock Golf Classic in November 2015 during head coach Matt Luther's first semester with the program. Senior MacKenzie Peyton is the only person on this year's roster to have played the course.
-Defending champion Missouri State took the 2015 and 2017 titles. Central Arkansas won the tournament in 2016 and finished as the runner-up in 2015 and 2017.
THEY SAID IT
Head Coach Matt Luther
On the competition level at this tournament… "It's a deep field; there are four Sun Belt teams. It would definitely be a good tournament for us to go out and play well. That would help us a lot."
On the team's improvements this fall… "There's been better decision making. They are starting to understand some targeting stuff that we've been talking about all year. Strategically, we've talked about how to hit tee shots and what we expect out of them. We're going to hit great tee shots in the fairway and we're going to hit not-so-great ones, so how to manage both and recognize when to be on the gas and when to be on the brakes."
On Hovland and Shaari's leadership and development… "Julie has come a long way in a year. She works as hard as any kid I've ever seen. She wants to be good and she puts the work and time in with a lot of intention. It's paying off and it's fun to watch. It's the same thing with Siti; she's super talented. It's just helping her understand how to shoot a bogey-free 68 when she's hitting it well and how to keep it at 74 or 75 when she's not hitting it great. She's learning and getting better."
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—
