GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The 13th-ranked LSU women’s golf team, looking for a fourth consecutive trip to the NCAA Division I Championships, begins play Friday in the Sun Trust Lady Gator Invitational, hosted by the University of Florida.
The 54-hole tournament runs through Sunday at the par-72 University of Florida Golf Course, which will also be the site in April of the Southeastern Conference Women’s Golf Championships.
The Tigers got strong fall seasons from Shreveport junior Meredith Duncan and South Bend, Ind., senior Katy Harris and now look to put together some team rounds in the four spring events in an attempt to position themselves for the new format of the NCAA Regional Tournament.
This year, there will be three qualifying regionals instead of two, and teams will be placed according to scores, with only the top teams guaranteed to play in their home region. The NCAA Finals at the end of May will be played in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla.
Duncan, ranked 14th in the country in the individual rankings and Harris, tied for 23rd in the nation, will play 1-2 in the opening round of the event, with newcomer Isabelle Dornellas making her debut in the third spot. Dornellas, who entered LSU between semesters, is from Rio De Janeiro and has an impressive junior golf resume’. Gretna junior Lindy Hitdlebaugh and Redmond, Wash., senior Lesley McClurg will go off in the 4-5 positions.
“This is the time of the year to try to get off to a good start and put some rounds together that will put us in position later in the year,” said LSU coach Karen Bahnsen. “We’ve had some struggles in the fall in the past, but we’ve shown the determination in the spring to get it done.”
Joining LSU and host Florida in the event are Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Central Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, Mississippi State, North Carolina, South Carolina, South Florida, Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Wake Forest.
LSU in the spring will also travel to tournaments at South Carolina and Hawaii in March, before hosting the annual LSU/Cleveland Golf Classic at the University Club in Baton Rouge, April 6-8.