CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — The LSU women’s golf team returns to action for the first time in three weeks as it takes part in the Lady Tar Heel Invitational starting here Friday morning.
The 30th annual event will be played over the par 72, 6,285-yard UNC Finley Golf Course. The 54-hole event runs through Sunday. Friday’s round has been pushed back to an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start with a 90 percent chance of rains Thursday night and into the day from the remnants of Tropical Storm Tammy.
LSU and host North Carolina will be joined in the field by Duke, Auburn, Tennessee, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Texas, Virginia, Tulsa, Florida State, Kentucky, North Carolina State, South Carolina, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt and Wake Forest.
The Lady Tigers placed seventh in the season opening event at the College of Charleston and coach Karen Bahnsen is hoping for a better start our of her team than in the season opening event when with no practice round, LSU shot an 18-over 306. Over the final 36 holes, LSU was just 15 over par, including six-over 294 round on the final day.
“We want to come out ready to grind and ready to make things happen,” said Bahnsen. “We were very slow coming out of the gate and we need to be there from the start to compete with an excellent field again in this tournament.”
LSU will have four golfers in the lineup that played at Charleston: Kim Meck, the Eaton twins (Melissa and Nicola), and Rebecca Kuhn. Meck posted a 6-over 221 in the opener, finishing in a tie for 15th, while Melissa Eaton posted an 11-over 226 and Nicola Eaton a 13-over 228. Kuhn’s 54-hole total was 14-over 229. Nicola posted a 2-under 70 in the Lady Tigers’ final round.
Making her collegiate debut is freshman Caroline Martens-Larsen of Oslo, Norway. Martens-Larsen is a former Norwegian junior golfer of the year.