AUBURN, Wash. — The LSU women’s golf team, ranked 11th in the nation, opens play Monday in the toughest tournament of the fall season, the NCAA Fall Preview at the Washington National Golf Club, just outside Seattle.
Washington National, open just 13 months, will be the site of the 2002 NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championships in late May. A total of 24 teams will take part in the three-day, 54-hole event over the par-72, 6,283 yard course.
The venue will have a familiar feel to those who played in the 2000 NCAAs as this course was designed by the same architects which designed Crosswater Country Club in Sunriver, Ore. The course will put a premium on driving accuracy and the ability to shape shots to enter the greens from the right angles.
Joining host Washington and LSU will be the defending national champions, Georgia, along with Arizona, Arizona State, Auburn, California, national runner-up Duke, Michigan State, New Mexico State, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Oregon State, Pepperdine, Purdue, Stanford, Tennessee, Texas, TCU, Tulsa, UCLA, Southern California and Washington State.
LSU Isabel Dornellas, a sophomore from Brazil, led LSU in its seventh place finish Tuesday in the Mason Rudolph Championships in Vanderbilt. Dornellas had rounds of 76-72-76 — 224 (8 over) to finish in a career best equaling 14th place. United States Amateur Champion Meredith Duncan of Shreveport got her game going after a first round of 79 finishing 74-72 over the last 36 holes to finish at 9 over.
The rest of the LSU lineup will be freshman Brooke Shelton of Plano, Texas, senior Lindy Hitdlebaugh of Gretna and sophomore Devon Day of Greer, S. C.
“This is an important tournament for us but it’s more important for us to see the course and take some good notes for the championships next May,” said LSU coach Karen Bahnsen. “Our track record has shown we haven’t done the greatest in this event, but having played the course a few times has really helped up to improve our position when we came back the next year for the Championships, which is where it really counts.
The three-day tournament runs through Wednesday.