HOWEY-IN-THE-HILLS, Fla. — LSU’s 10th-ranked women’s golf team finds hopes to keep its string of top 10 finishes alive this week as it begins play Tuesday in the 2001 NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championships at the El Campeon course at the Mission Inn Golf and Tennis Resort.
The Tigers have finished in the top 10 in their last five Championship appearances dating back to 1986. LSU is making its fourth consecutive appearance, a school record, in the championships, and has finished 10th each of the last two years.
The Tigers are one of 24 teams taking part in this year’s championship which moves from the Sunriver resort in Oregon, to Mission Inn, outside Orlando, Fla., for this year’s renewal. The 6,106-yard, par 72 El Campeon course was built in 1926 by Charles Clarke of Troon, Scotland.
Joining LSU in the field are Arizona, Arizona State, Auburn, California, Duke, Georgia, Kent State, Michigan State, New Mexico, New Mexico State, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Pepperdine, Purdue, San Jose State, South Carolina, South Florida, Southern Cal, Sanford, Texas, Tulsa, UCLA and Washington.
“As usual in an event like this, we are playing with the cream of the crop,” said LSU Coach Karen Bahnsen. “We have been playing some strong golf in the last few tournaments. The course difficulty and the weather in Purdue made those scores hard to factor in, but if we are able to come out and focus early on for a good start, I look for us to have another good week.”
The Tigers will stick with the lineup that has been the most consistent all year with senior Katy Harris of South Bend, Ind., in the lead off spot followed by Shreveport junior Meredith Duncan. Lesley McClurg, the team’s other senior from Redmond, Wash., will play third along with Brazil freshman Isabel Dornellas and Gretna junior Lindy Hitdlebaugh.
Harris had a stroke average of 73.45 entering the Championships, just in front of Jenny Lidback (1986) for the all-time best single-season stroke average in LSU history. For Harris, it will be the final tournament of an illustrious career in which she becomes the first LSU golfer to play on four straight teams to make an appearance in the NCAA Division I Championships.
The tournament runs through Friday afternoon.