Women's Golf | 2/8/2017 10:20:00 AM
Tournament Name: Texas State Invitational
Host: Texas State
Location: New Braunfels, Texas
Dates: Feb. 13-14
Course: Bandit Golf Club
Par: 71 (6,032 yards)
Format: 54 holes (36 Sunday, 18 Monday)
Tee Times: 9:30 a.m. ET shotgun both days
Field: Arkansas State, Boise State, Boston College, Central Arkansas, Georgia Southern, North Dakota State, Houston Baptist , Incarnate Word, Little Rock, North Texas, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, UTEP, UTSA, Stephen F. Austin, Texas State, Xavier. |
Live scoring
STATESBORO, Ga. - In just its second season in existence, the Georgia Southern women's golf program came awfully close to winning two tournaments in the fall. The Eagles took second in the Charleston Southern Invitational that opened the season and fourth at the Terrier Intercollegiate in the final tourney of the fall.
The Eagles were in the final pairing for the last round in both events, providing invaluable experience for a budding program with big aspirations.
"That's something new for us this year and sleeping on a lead or knowing you're going to be right there and still going out there and playing one shot at a time is something you've got to practice," said Georgia Southern coach
Emily Kuhfeld. "I feel like with those experiences under our belt, the next time we're in that position, we'll be a little bit more comfortable."
Iben Hvass posted two top-10 finishes, and
Yeji Shin tied for third at the Fall Invitational. Seven different Eagles shot par or better in nine rounds, and Georgia Southern recorded its best team and individual finishes and lowest team and individual rounds in its brief history.
It's proof that the Eagles have a great chance to improve on last season's fourth-place finish at the Sun Belt Championship in their first season of competition.
The Eagles worked a lot on course management prior to the start of the fall, and it paid dividends. Georgia Southern will continue to work in that area, and Kuhfeld says the team spent time on the mental game as well as putting after the fall season ended.
"The team has been doing a great job building on what we learned from the fall season," she said. "I could tell they made improvements in their games during the offseason, and our practices since we began a few weeks ago have been some of the most productive we have ever had. We are in a great rhythm of learning, reps, competing and really focusing on our short games and routines."
The spring season opens at the Texas State Invitational Feb. 13-14, and Georgia Southern will play five tournaments in addition to the Sun Belt Championship. The schedule includes another tournament in Jacksonville, Fla., one in Kiawah Island and one in Atlanta. The conference tournament will be in a new locale this season as the Eagles travel to Alabama to play at Shoal Creek.
The Eagles' fourth-place finish in the Sun Belt Tournament last year was a bit of an eye-opener to the rest of the league. If the fall is any indicator, and Georgia Southern maintains its progression and continues to put itself in a position to gain the experience and the seasoning needed to win tournaments, the Eagles could be making more history this spring.
"Our stroke average is way lower than it was at this time last year," said Kuhfeld. "There have been definite improvements, but I can speak for all the girls on the team in terms of they feel like the best is still yet to come."
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