DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The University of South Alabama women's golf program, ranked third in the conference, will travel to Daytona Beach, Fla. for this year's Sun Belt Championship, held Monday through Wednesday at the LPGA International – Hills Course.

The championship tournament will be played in an 18/18/18 format with 7 a.m. CDT tee times daily. 

TOURNAMENT INFORMATION
Event (Host): 2019 Sun Belt Conference Championship (Sun Belt)
Dates: April 15-17 (Monday-Wednesday)
Format: 54 holes (18/18/18)
Start Time: 7 a.m.  
Course: LPGA International – Hills Course (par 72, 6,050 yds)
Live Scoring
 
THE FIELD (11)
Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Little Rock, ULM, South Alabama, UT Arlington, Texas State, Troy 
 
THE JAGUAR LINEUP
-Caroline Berge (So., Hundvag, Stavanger, Norway; 23 rds, 76.26 avg.; 2 T10, 2 T20; 1 rd =/- par in 2018-19)
-Julie Hovland (So., Bergen, Norway; 23 rds, 74.65 avg.; 5 T10; 5 rds =/- par in 2018-19)
-Nele Mattner** (Fr., Braunschweig, Germany; 23 rds, 82.13 avg.; 1 rd =/- par in 2018-19)
-MacKenzie Peyton (Sr., New Castle, Ky.; 20 rds, 76.55 avg.; 2 T20; 1 rd =/- par in 2018-19)
-Siti Shaari (So., Subangjaya, Malaysia; 23 rds, 74.39 avg.; 4 T10, 2 T20; 6 rds =/- par in 2018-19)
-Lexi Worrell (Sr., Milton, Fla.; 23 rds, 77.87 avg.; 2 T10; 2 rds =/- par in 2018-19)
 
**TBD

TEE SHOTS
-The Jaguars are led by sophomore Siti Shaari, whose 74.39 scoring average is the fifth-lowest in the conference. She has collected four top-10 and two top-20 finishes this season, played six rounds at or below par, and is the only Jaguar to have all 23 individual rounds counting toward the team total.
-Fellow sophomore Julie Hovland ranks sixth in the Sun Belt with a 74.65 average. She finished in the top 10 in all four fall tournaments and added another top-10 finish at the Bama Beach Bash, where her 5-under-par 67 in the final round tied the second-lowest single-round total in Jaguar program history. The Bergen, Norway native holds the low 54-hole score on the team, a 3-under-par 213 that took runner-up honors at the USA Intercollegiate.
-Caroline Berge holds a 76.26 average through 23 rounds with two top-10 and two top-20 finishes. The sophomore's best tournament total was a 221 (+5) at the UNF Collegiate. 
-Seniors MacKenzie Peyton and Lexi Worrell will be competing in their final Sun Belt Championship tournament. Peyton, who has battled injuries late in the season, holds a 76.55 scoring average with two top-20 finishes. Worrell averages 77.87 and has played two rounds at or below par with two top-10 finishes this year. 
-USA holds a team scoring average of 300.52. They won the UT Arlington Invitational and finished second in a rain-shortened ULM Fred Marx Invitational in October; they also took the runner-up spot at the Bama Beach Bash. The Jaguars shot a team-best 880 (+16) at the USA Intercollegiate to open the season. 
-The LPGA International – Hills Course is familiar to this Jaguar lineup; the same five golfers played the course at the Xavier Invitational in October 2017. 
 
THEY SAID IT
Head Coach Matt Luther
On the conference tournament: "Winning is definitely doable for us, but there are plenty of teams who could win. It will be a good week." 

On the team's consistency and chemistry through the season: "We've got a good group. We've traveled everybody all year, so they're used to being on the road, practice rounds, and the pace of being at golf tournaments. It's business as usual."

On playing a familiar course: "Xavier's tournament was a long time ago and we're a completely different team now. I think it's going to be interesting to see the improvements we've made in a year and a half. We played there in October when this group was mostly freshmen and juniors. It's going to be good to see."

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—