ATHENS, Ga. – The Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic has always featured some of the nation’s top teams in what is usually the final regular-season event before conference tournament play.
This year, when the 39th annual event begins on Friday, will be no different when it comes to the quality of the field, but Georgia Coach Kelly Hester has stepped out of the box for a unique fan-friendly format that keep everyone on their toes for the 54-hole event.
In most collegiate events, teams play five golfers and the four lowest scores are added together to make a team’s score for each day. The players are paired in waves of three teams with the five golfers spread over two or three holes depending on whether shot gun or tee time starts. It’s a standard format that hasn’t been deviated from too often.
Not this weekend. The 23 teams will go off at 8:30 a.m. CDT Friday in groups of five with all five members of the team playing together as a fivesome. This time the four counting scores will be determined at the conclusion of each hole of play.
So in essence someone could take a big number on one hole and not count and come back and birdie the next hole and be one of the counting scores. What it really does is keep all five players alive and hopefully alert because even if they are having a bad day they could turn around and be needed to get a score on the next hole.
The effect should be to drop scores lower and put a premium on shot making on each hole. The event is fan friendly in that if you are following one team they are all together and coaches will be able to track each player at all times through the round. The event has been tried a few times in men’s collegiate golf but this is believed the first time that a women’s round will be conducted in this format.
Joining sixth-ranked LSU and host Georgia in the event are Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Chattanooga, Duke, Florida, Florida State, Furman, Georgia State, Kennesaw State, Kent State, Kentucky, Michigan State, North Carolina, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Purdue, South Carolina, Virginia and Wake Forest.
Duke and Lindy Duncan, the winner of the LSU Tiger Golf Classic in March, are the defending champions of the event.
LSU has made one change in its lineup for the event with senior Amalie Valle, who is at 75.9 strokes per round for 12, but who will by the weekend play her 100th career round for the Lady Tigers. The nation’s No. 1 ranked golfer, Megan McChrystal, will go after her seventh top five finish in as many events as she continues to rewrite the LSU record book while averaging 70.5 strokes per round.
The rest of the lineup including freshman tournament winner Austin Ernst (73.7), junior Jacqueline Hedwall (74.3) and sophomore Mary Michael Maggio (74.4).
“We’re looking forward to this tournament,” said LSU Coach Karen Bahnsen. “It’s going to be very different but it will be fun to play together as a group. It will give you a different perspective of things as coaches as the round goes along. It’s very spectator friendly and will be a good event for us to play in prior to SECs.”
The SEC Championship is set for April 15-17 at Auburn, Ala.
Live scoring for the tournament will be available through LSUsports.net at Golfstat.com. Follow LSU women’s golf on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LSUwomensgolf and on Twitter @LSUwomensgolf.