MSU Women's Golf Set For LSU/Cleveland Golf Classic
STARKVILLE, Miss. ? The Mississippi State women's golf team will continue its 2008 spring schedule this weekend (March 14-16), playing at the LSU/Cleveland Golf Classic. Held at the par 72, 6,424-yard University Club in Baton Rouge, La., the tournament features a field of 17 teams.
The Lady Bulldog lineup features senior Julia Huh, junior Jillian Jones, sophomore Suzanne Stanley along with freshmen Mallory Batson and Erika Thornton. Batson currently leads the Lady Bulldogs with a 76.73 stroke average. The Gadsden, Ala., native is coming off a ninth-place finish at the Qdoba Invitational to open the spring. Huh and Thornton are second on the team, averaging a 77.00 this season. Huh will be playing in her 32nd career tournament and is one round shy of ninth on the list of most career rounds played by a Lady Bulldog. Stanley will be making her sixth-straight appearance of the season this weekend while Jones will be playing in her second straight.
"The team has been working very hard to improve on areas I feel like are keeping us from performing as well as we are capable of which is short game and putting," said MSU head coach Christi Sanders. "During the practice round we will give a lot of attention to good landing areas off the tees and practice a great deal around the greens trying to get a good feel for the speed. "
The field, which includes seven SEC teams, includes seven squads that are ranked in the nation’s top-30 in the latest Golfstat poll. State will join conference teams LSU, Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi and South Carolina. Non-conference teams include Augusta State, College of Charleston, Florida State, Louisville, North Carolina, North Carolina State, North Carolina-Wilmington, Central Florida, Virginia and Wake Forest.
"This tournament always produces a good field and good scores so we know that we will have to get off to a good start on Friday to give us confidence going into the weekends final two rounds," said Sanders.
First round action will begin Friday with an 8 a.m. CT tee off. Saturday's round two will also begin at 8 a.m. CT while Sunday's action will begin at 8:30 a.m. CT.