Women's Golf Set to Tee Off at Bettie Lou Evans Invitational

Sunday, September 8

Nicholasville, Ky.

Middle Tennessee

Bettie Lou Evans Invitational

9/7/2024 4:40:00 PM | Women's Golf

Live Stats

By: Logan Hasselbach

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – The Middle Tennessee women's golf program is set to embark on its 26th season of golf, beginning at the Bettie Lou Evans Invitational. The tournament, hosted by the University of Kentucky, will be played at Champion Trace at Keene Trace Golf Club in Nicholasville, Ky. from September 8-10.

THE FIELD
The Blue Raiders will be joined by Indiana, Akron, Missouri, Kentucky, Houston, TCU, Washington State, Eastern Kentucky, Louisville and Illinois.

Competing for Middle Tennessee is Lanie Campbell, Ella Manley, Nicole Johnson, Caroline Pardue and Kendall Maynard. Jillian Bowman will play in the tournament as an individual participant.

THE COURSE
For the first time in the tournament's 31-year history, it will be held at the Champion Trace golf course. The course was designed by world renowned architect Arthur Hills and was built in 1987 by Tom Heilbron. It is a par-72 and will be played at 6,261 yards. The course is home to the annual PGA Tour event ISCO Championship, formerly known as the Barbasol Championship.

THE BLUE RAIDERS
Caroline Pardue will be making her collegiate debut at the Bettie Lou Evans Invitational in the No. 4 slot. Pardue, a Murfreesboro native, joined MT from Providence Christian Academy. The 2023 district individual champion averaged 70 in her final season at PCA and placed in the top-10 at the 2023 Tennessee Junior Girls Championship.

Ella Manley returns to Middle Tennessee after a standout freshman season, where she set the freshman scoring average record, averaging 75.17 in her first campaign as a Blue Raider. The Calhoun, Ga. native led the team with six rounds of par or better and equaled the second-most by an MT freshman. She earned Conference USA Player of the Week honors after tying for second at the Ozarks National Invitational, making a hole-in-one on her final hole of the tournament.

Kendall Maynard will begin her final season as a Blue Raider at the Bettie Lou Evans Invitational. The senior only competed in the fall season last year after suffering an injury, causing her to miss the spring. Maynard brought home the individual title from the USA Intercollegiate, finishing with a score of 209 (-7) and earned CUSA Player of the Week honors for the performance. Her fall campaign was enough for the Clarksville, Tenn. native to be placed on the All-CUSA Second Team.

THE TOURNAMENT
The student-athletes will play 18 holes each day for a total of three rounds. Sunday and Monday will have tee times for all players, with the tournament operating on a shotgun start for the final round on Tuesday.

THE WEATHER
The weather could not be more optimal for the opening tournament of head coach Lauren Wamsley's first season at the helm. There is no rain in the forecast for any of the three competition days. Sunday has a high of 73 and a low of 45, Monday is a high of 80 and low of 46 and the tournament concludes Tuesday with a high of 85 and a low of 50.