Lady Bulldogs Begin Spring Slate At Kiawah Island
KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. - Mississippi State’s women’s golf team begins spring competition on Sunday at the Kiawah Island Women’s Intercollegiate. The tournament will see the largest collegiate golf field ever assembled, as 46 squads will compete, including four Southeastern Conference schools.
Having competed for MSU in every fall tournament, sophomore Mallory Batson and Erika Thornton along with junior Gina Sharp will again travel for the Bulldogs. Batson leads the squad with a 76.00 stroke average on the year, while Thornton and Sharp are tied for second on the team with a 77.42 average. Junior Leigh Phillips and freshman Perry Katherine Furr will each make their second consecutive start to round out State golfers.
"The players have had good offseason workouts and practice and are ready to get back into competition this weekend," MSU coach Christi Sanders said. "The weather has been cold at times but it hasn’t been as wet as it usually is this time of year so we have been able to get outdoors and prepare for this event."
"With 46 teams participating this tournament will be the largest collegiate golf event to date," Sanders said. "We will play two different golf courses through the first two rounds and then the top 23 teams will play Cougar Point and the lower 23 teams will play Oak Point for the final round. The NCAA has rated both golf courses with the same level of difficulty so the final results will be versus 45 teams."
Mississippi State’s Lady Golfers will tee off at Cougar Point at 8 a.m. CT Sunday and Monday mornings. Play will begin at 7:45 a.m. CT on Tuesday.