Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Women's Golf announces 2017-18 tournament schedule
8/7/2017 4:00:00 PM | Women's Golf
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Head Coach Chris Adams released the 2017-18 Middle Tennessee Women's Golf schedule Monday with four of last season's destinations remaining on the slate for the upcoming season.
After a second-place finish in Conference USA last season and their fourth top 3 finish in four seasons in the league, Adams and the Blue Raiders look poised to challenge for a title once again in the upcoming season.
The lineup will be led by three veterans in reigning Conference USA individual champion Jenna Burris as well as Hanley Long and Cynthia Bounleutay.
"Any time you can return three upperclassmen with the experience that they have it's huge, especially knowing that we have three freshmen coming in," Adams said.
Sophomore Emily Lankford will battle with a trio of freshmen – Sophie Burks, Caroline Caudill and Savannah Quick – for the final two spots in the lineup this season.
"Emily coming back with experience competing as an individual in a couple of tournaments last year will provide her with a little bit of a leg up knowing the ropes around our courses," Adams stated. "I think it will really be a battle between those four for the last two spots on the travel team, though."
MT opens the season Sep. 15-17 in nearby Franklin for the second season in a row at the Mason Rudolph Invitational hosted by Vanderbilt. The Vanderbilt Legends Club will feature a very deep field once again to test the Raiders early on.
"This tournament always has a great field and a lot of people love to come to that event every year," Adams said. "We 're going to be looking for a little redemption because we didn't play our best when we were there last year and having three of the same golfers back on the same course will make it a good test for us to start the year."
The Blue Raiders return to the Lady Paladin Invitational in Greenville, S.C., one week later looking to repeat their top 5 finish from a year ago at Furman University Golf Club on Sep. 22-24.
The first week of October features a tournament Middle Tennessee has had good success at prior to their absence from the event in 2016-17. The Raiders had a pair of top 3 finishes at the Johnie Imes Invitational in Columbia, Mo., in the 2014-15 and 2015-16, notching two of the lowest four 54-hole team scores in school history.
The Blue Raiders tee it up at the three-day tournament Oct. 2-4 at The Club at Old Hawthorne.
"Only Jenna is returning to this course for the second time, but I think she had her best round of the season that year on that course," Adams stated. "Typically going there we post a lot of low numbers and it's a great golf course that's in great condition. "
That'll probably be some of our low rounds of the year and could be a big confidence booster early in the year. Every time we've been there in the past we have played well."
The fourth and final event of the fall will be a new one to the Blue Raider schedule as they head to San Antonio, Texas, for the Maryb S. Kauth Invitational at Briggs Ranch Golf Club, another three-day event hosted by Conference USA foe UTSA on Oct. 22-24.
"I think we have four really good three-day tournaments on the schedule in the fall," Adams said. "It gives you a sense of relaxation knowing you don't have to go in and play 36 holes on the first day.
"The tournament in San Antonio is a new one for us but that's another course that has proved to allow for some really low scores. Overall I think it's a good mix of tournaments in the fall."
A later than usual start to the spring slate sees the Blue Raiders open up on Mar. 5-7 at the Hurricane Invitational in Miami, Fla. MT finished eighth in the event hosted by Miami (FL) at The Biltmore a season ago.
Next on tap for the Raiders is Augusta University's 3M Augusta Invitational on Mar. 16-18. The three-day event will take place at Forest Hills in Augusta, Ga.
"This course is a really good test of golf and probably has some of the most challenging greens we will see all year long," Adams stated. "Their golf facility is first class and it should be a good challenge for us."
After a Mar. 23-25 trip to the Mountain View Collegiate at Mountain View Country Club in Tucson, Ariz., the Blue Raiders close out the regular season on Apr. 2-3 when they take on the field at the Charleston Invitational in Mt. Pleasant, S.C. The two-day tournament hosted by College of Charleston and Charleston Southern is a first time event for MT and will be played at River Towne Country Club.
"There are going to be several teams in Charleston that are of our caliber and there will be a handful of top 50 type teams," Adams said. "It's another new tournament for us but it's on a great golf course and it'll be fun for us to get back to the Charleston area again.
"We're really excited about our schedule," Adams said. "This schedule really sets us up to have a pretty good ranking if we can do what we are capable of on the course this season. I don't think we could ask for a better tournament schedule, and having seven three-day events is huge."
The 2018 Conference USA Women's Golf Championship returns to the Verandah Club in Fort Myers, Fla., on Apr. 16-18. With two titles and a second-place finish under their belts on the course, the Blue Raiders hope to make a splash once again in the postseason.
"We are ecstatic to be going back to the Verandah Club for the conference championship this season," Adams stated. "Obviously we've had a lot of success there. We really like the course and love our host families. The weather is always good down there and having three girls back with experience on that course, I really like our chances."
Should the Blue Raiders advance beyond the C-USA Championship for a third NCAA Regional appearance in four years they would be headed to either Stanford, Calif., Austin, Texas, Madison, Wis., or Tallahassee, Fla., from May 7-9.
After a second-place finish in Conference USA last season and their fourth top 3 finish in four seasons in the league, Adams and the Blue Raiders look poised to challenge for a title once again in the upcoming season.
The lineup will be led by three veterans in reigning Conference USA individual champion Jenna Burris as well as Hanley Long and Cynthia Bounleutay.
"Any time you can return three upperclassmen with the experience that they have it's huge, especially knowing that we have three freshmen coming in," Adams said.
Sophomore Emily Lankford will battle with a trio of freshmen – Sophie Burks, Caroline Caudill and Savannah Quick – for the final two spots in the lineup this season.
"Emily coming back with experience competing as an individual in a couple of tournaments last year will provide her with a little bit of a leg up knowing the ropes around our courses," Adams stated. "I think it will really be a battle between those four for the last two spots on the travel team, though."
MT opens the season Sep. 15-17 in nearby Franklin for the second season in a row at the Mason Rudolph Invitational hosted by Vanderbilt. The Vanderbilt Legends Club will feature a very deep field once again to test the Raiders early on.
"This tournament always has a great field and a lot of people love to come to that event every year," Adams said. "We 're going to be looking for a little redemption because we didn't play our best when we were there last year and having three of the same golfers back on the same course will make it a good test for us to start the year."
The Blue Raiders return to the Lady Paladin Invitational in Greenville, S.C., one week later looking to repeat their top 5 finish from a year ago at Furman University Golf Club on Sep. 22-24.
The first week of October features a tournament Middle Tennessee has had good success at prior to their absence from the event in 2016-17. The Raiders had a pair of top 3 finishes at the Johnie Imes Invitational in Columbia, Mo., in the 2014-15 and 2015-16, notching two of the lowest four 54-hole team scores in school history.
The Blue Raiders tee it up at the three-day tournament Oct. 2-4 at The Club at Old Hawthorne.
"Only Jenna is returning to this course for the second time, but I think she had her best round of the season that year on that course," Adams stated. "Typically going there we post a lot of low numbers and it's a great golf course that's in great condition. "
That'll probably be some of our low rounds of the year and could be a big confidence booster early in the year. Every time we've been there in the past we have played well."
The fourth and final event of the fall will be a new one to the Blue Raider schedule as they head to San Antonio, Texas, for the Maryb S. Kauth Invitational at Briggs Ranch Golf Club, another three-day event hosted by Conference USA foe UTSA on Oct. 22-24.
"I think we have four really good three-day tournaments on the schedule in the fall," Adams said. "It gives you a sense of relaxation knowing you don't have to go in and play 36 holes on the first day.
"The tournament in San Antonio is a new one for us but that's another course that has proved to allow for some really low scores. Overall I think it's a good mix of tournaments in the fall."
A later than usual start to the spring slate sees the Blue Raiders open up on Mar. 5-7 at the Hurricane Invitational in Miami, Fla. MT finished eighth in the event hosted by Miami (FL) at The Biltmore a season ago.
Next on tap for the Raiders is Augusta University's 3M Augusta Invitational on Mar. 16-18. The three-day event will take place at Forest Hills in Augusta, Ga.
"This course is a really good test of golf and probably has some of the most challenging greens we will see all year long," Adams stated. "Their golf facility is first class and it should be a good challenge for us."
After a Mar. 23-25 trip to the Mountain View Collegiate at Mountain View Country Club in Tucson, Ariz., the Blue Raiders close out the regular season on Apr. 2-3 when they take on the field at the Charleston Invitational in Mt. Pleasant, S.C. The two-day tournament hosted by College of Charleston and Charleston Southern is a first time event for MT and will be played at River Towne Country Club.
"There are going to be several teams in Charleston that are of our caliber and there will be a handful of top 50 type teams," Adams said. "It's another new tournament for us but it's on a great golf course and it'll be fun for us to get back to the Charleston area again.
"We're really excited about our schedule," Adams said. "This schedule really sets us up to have a pretty good ranking if we can do what we are capable of on the course this season. I don't think we could ask for a better tournament schedule, and having seven three-day events is huge."
The 2018 Conference USA Women's Golf Championship returns to the Verandah Club in Fort Myers, Fla., on Apr. 16-18. With two titles and a second-place finish under their belts on the course, the Blue Raiders hope to make a splash once again in the postseason.
"We are ecstatic to be going back to the Verandah Club for the conference championship this season," Adams stated. "Obviously we've had a lot of success there. We really like the course and love our host families. The weather is always good down there and having three girls back with experience on that course, I really like our chances."
Should the Blue Raiders advance beyond the C-USA Championship for a third NCAA Regional appearance in four years they would be headed to either Stanford, Calif., Austin, Texas, Madison, Wis., or Tallahassee, Fla., from May 7-9.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
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