ATHENS, Ga. — The Georgia women’s golf team is set to compete in the Chicago area for the second time in as many weeks as it prepares for the Illini Invitational. The two-day tournament, hosted by the University of Illinois, is the fourth of five competitions in which the Bulldogs are set to compete during the fall slate.
“We are ready for the challenge of competing in another great field,” head coach Erika Brennan said. “The team got quality work in with our mental performance team, and we’re looking to implement those strategies as we continue building confidence to trust our preparation and talent. This team has all of the pieces to compete at an elite level, and we’re looking forward to connecting those dots in Chicago.”
The tournament is set to tee off from the Medinah Country Club with a 9:30 a.m. EDT shotgun start on Monday and will resume play at 10 a.m. on Tuesday. The Bulldogs will play 36 continuous holes on Course No. 2 on Monday before playing the final 18 holes on Tuesday.
The Bulldogs will join a field of 15 teams competing in Medinah Ill., four of which were ranked in the latest Women’s Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) Coaches Poll, which was released on Oct. 4. Ranked teams competing in the Illini Invitational include No. 5 UCLA, No. 6 Auburn, No. 19 Ole Miss, and No. 23 Pepperdine while Alabama, UCF, Georgia, Houston, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana Monroe, Maryland, North Texas, Texas Tech, and Tulsa round out the field.
Georgia last competed in the Chicago suburbs last week when they participated in the Northwestern-hosted Windy City Classic in Wilmette, Ill. Celine Brovold Sanne led the Bulldogs across the two-day tournament, carding an 11-over 227 over three rounds to finish tied for 35th individually. She posted a 1-over 73 in the second round, Georgia’s best individual 18-hole performance of the tournament. The Bulldogs finished 13th at 56-over in the elite event which featured four top-10 teams and 10 top-20 teams.
Five familiar faces will compete in the team lineup for the Bulldogs in Medinah while one freshman will make her collegiate debut. Sophomore Morgan Smith, who has a perfect counting percentage across all tournaments this season, will anchor the Bulldogs’ lineup while graduate student Chantal El Chaib will tee off in the second position. Grace Frei will make her return to the Georgia lineup in the third position while Brovold Sanne, who is the Bulldogs’ top finisher in two of three tournaments this season, is set to tee off fourth. Senior Kate Song rounds out the lineup in the fifth and final slot. Additionally, freshman Zixin “Candice” Lou will compete as an individual while making her college debut.
The Bulldogs will compete in the Illini Invitational for the fourth-straight season when they take the course Monday. Georgia tied for sixth in the 2023 iteration of the event, shooting 864 as a team to finish at an even-par. During the 2022 tournament, Jenny Bae, who earned her LPGA Tour card today after finishing seventh on the 2024 Epson Tour, set an Illini Invitational record with a tournament-winning 16-under individual performance. The tournament is set to tee off for the sixth time since its inception in 2018 with Georgia making its fourth appearance in the Illinois-hosted event.
Georgia will be paired with Texas Tech and Maryland beginning on holes 10 through 13 with Monday’s play set for a 9:30 a.m. shotgun start. Lou will rotate with golfers from Illinois and UCLA as she competes individually and will tee off from hole 18. Live scoring will be available at https://gado.gs/c6c.
The post Georgia Making Final Preparations For Illini Invitational appeared first on FORE Georgia.
Article Link: Georgia Making Final Preparations For Illini Invitational - FORE Georgia