BATON ROUGE — The University Club in Baton Rouge will be the site for the fourth time of the 22nd annual LSU/Cleveland Golf Classic that begins with 14 teams teeing off for the first of three rounds Friday morning.
Actually, this will be the fifth women’s college event played over the 6,265-yard par 72 layout, including the 2002 NCAA East Women’s Regional and twice the golf course has appeared to win and twice the golfers have appeared to be the victors over this Jim Lipe-designed course that features a links type setting with several holes open to the elements.
The two years the wind has blown, LSU won in 2000 with a score of 918 and No. 1 Auburn won last April with an 883. In 2001 and in the East Regional with fairly benign conditions, LSU shot 864 as a team (even par) for 54 holes and Duke won the regional with a five-under 859.
So that’s the challenge that awaits this year’s Classic field. On one hand, a beautifully strong, scoreable golf course that can readily reward good shots, but one that can also force players to make adjustments when the wind comes up. It’s proven to be one of the most entertaining women’s golf tournaments of the spring season and that’s why big local crowds have regularly encircled the final hole on the weekends.
Unfortunately for LSU, Georgia scheduled its Liz Murphey Classic in Athens for the same weekend after LSU had already chosen the date, splitting up the normal LSU/Cleveland field. However, some new teams are making their Baton Rouge debuts this year and have some credentials that will continue the strong history of this event.
This year’s field is headed by Tulane, which is ranked 19th in the country in the Golfweek/Sagarin performance ratings. The Wave of Coach Sue Bower has three wins this year at the Beacon Woods Invitational (shooting even par 864), the Palmetto Intercollegiate and Tulane Invitational. Liliana Alvarez, Lindsay Hulwick and Carolin Landmann all have individual wins for the Wave.
Western Carolina, ranked 38th, is coming off back-to-back wins in the Wachovia-Great Smokies Invitational over 23 other teams and the Lady Panther Intercollegiate.
Mississippi State, a perennial upper division finisher in the Classic, comes in ranked 41st, with Jacksonville State 58, Memphis 63 and LSU in at No. 68.
The Lady Tigers of Coach Karen Bahnsen are young this season and are trying to find a rhythm in a spring season of tournaments constantly shortened by rain. Vicky Meyer, who joined the Tiger team in January, shot three 74s, in finishing 10th in Puerto Rico, but her local debut may be limited by a possible tendon injury that had her foot wrapped heavily for the Thursday College-Am.
“We are really looking forward to this event,” said Bahnsen. “We always do. It’s a special weekend around the University Club and we are so enthusiastic about the people who come out and support the tournament each year. We have some new teams this year and that should really make for an interesting weekend of college golf.”
Tee times begin at 8:30 a.m. off the No. 10 tee and 9:06 a.m. off the No. 1 tee on Friday. Tulane will go off beginning at 9:06 off No. 1 and LSU will play with Mississippi State and Western Carolina and go off the first tee starting at 10 a.m.
The 54-hole tournament runs through Sunday and admission is free to the general public.