FRANKLIN, Tenn. — The LSU women’s golf team hopes to recreate some of the magic of the first two rounds of last year’s Southeastern Conference Women’s Golf Championships when the 2006 edition tees off Friday morning on the Ironhorse Course of the Vanderbilt Legends Club.
The course, which the Lady Tigers and the other 11 teams toured Thursday in a practice round, appears to be in outstanding shape as the course superintendents are also preparing it for the LPGA Franklin Mortgage Tournament in the first week of May. Fairway placement will be key on many of the holes as water and bunkers are prevalent adjacent to many of the landing areas on the course that will play to a par 72 and 6,217 yards for the SEC Championships.
Last year, LSU was in an amazing frantic finish with Auburn, Georgia, Arkansas and Tennessee as the there was just two strokes difference in the top two teams. LSU had opened with 303-293 and stood three shots out of the lead with 18 to go over Auburn. LSU, Georgia, LSU and Tennessee would all go over 300 on the final day while Arkansas shot 295 to get themselves right back in the competition, playing in an earlier wave.
Auburn saw a nine-shot back-nine lead go away and at the end of the day, the Lady Tigers realized how close they were to pulling off the first championship since 1992, finishing two shots out of the Auburn-Georgia playoff that Auburn eventually won in multiple holes in the first playoff finish in SEC Women’s Championship history.
“We had a very good practice round Thursday and I think the team has a very good feel for what they need to do on this course,” said LSU Coach Karen Bahnsen, who has watched her Lady Tigers post six runner-up finishes, a third and two fourths since the last time the championship was held in Franklin in 1995.
“We just need to make decisive shots and not be timid in making approaches to these greens,” said Bahnsen. “These five are very capable of shooting numbers with anyone as proven by what they did at the LSU/Cleveland Classic (second two shots behind Auburn) and we look forward to a good showing this weekend.”
Last year at the Tunica (Miss.) National Golf Club, Melissa Eaton posted rounds of 77-73-75 for a 225 and tie for fifth place, while Kim Meck was one shot back (73-75-78) in a tie for seventh.
Both junior Eaton and sophomore Meck are in the five-player, count four scores lineup for the 54-hole event that runs through Sunday afternoon. Also playing for LSU is freshman Caroline Martens, and sophomores Alexis Rather and Rebecca Kuhn. Kuhn finished in a tie for 19th a year ago, as did Rather (redshirt last year) when she participated in the 2004 SEC event.
Stacy Lewis of Arkansas is back to defend her individual title which she won with a nine 67 on the final round to finish at two-under 214 (72-75-67). In fact, eight of the top 10 individuals from last year’s tournament will be back to try their luck at the Legends Club.
The Tigers will join Tennessee and Florida in the first wave off the first tee Friday at 8:30 a.m. as the tee times are based on the finish of last year’s tournament. The second round is scheduled for Saturday and the final round on Sunday. Temperatures are expected in the 80s with very little chance of rain in the forecast. It has been since 1996 that the league last lost a round of this championship to the weather.
Live scoring for the championship can be found at www.golfstat.com.