ATHENS, Ga. — The 13th-ranked LSU women’s golf team, coming off a strong wire-to-wire win in last week’s LSU/Cleveland Golf Classic, now looks to continue its strong performance here this weekend in the prestigious Liz Murphey Collegiate at the University of Georgia Golf Course.
The tournament features 18 teams and joining LSU and host Georgia will be Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, East Carolina, Florida State, Furman, Kent State, Kentucky, Michigan State, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Ohio State, South Carolina, Tennessee, Tulane and Wake Forest. The 54-hole tournament, named for the former Georgia golf coach and senior women’s administrator of the school, is scheduled for 54-holes through Sunday on the par-72, 6,104 yard course.
Georgia is the defending champion with a score of one-over par 865 on very consistent rounds of 292-288-285. LSU is returning to the tournament for the first time since 2002 but this was usually the final stop of the spring season in the 1980s and 1990s for the LSU team as it is this year.
This will serve as the final tune-up for the Lady Tigers before the women’s Southeastern Conference Championships set for the Tunica National Golf Club in Mississippi in mid-April and this week the LSU coaching staff spent the time with the athletes working on the few flaws that were exposed in the Cleveland Classic.
“We were very pleased with the way we played in front of our home fans this past weekend,” said LSU Coach Karen Bahnsen. “The Liz Murphey tournament is always an important one and always draws a good field so we want to continue to build on what we did here and continue to prepare for SECs and the post-season.”
LSU will go with its same lineup of senior Brooke Shelton, junior Vicky Meyer, sophomore Melissa Eaton and freshman Kim Meck and Rebecca Kuhn. Kuhn shot two-under 214 for 54 holes to finish second in the Cleveland Classic and Shelton posted a ninth-place finish, her third top 10 in four years of playing in the event at the University Club.
This 33rd annual tournament will play 18 holes each day through Sunday.