Furman to compete at NCAA Lubbock Regional
INDIANAPOLIS – The 10th-ranked Furman women's golf team will take part in the NCAA Lubbock Regional at the The Rawls Course in Lubbock, Texas, May 8-10, as announced on Thursday by the NCAA Division I Golf Committee.
The Paladins are part of an 18-team regional field that will battle for a top-six finish and a berth in the 24-team NCAA Championship, which is set to be held May 19-24 at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Illinois. The Lubbock Regional field includes six of the top 25 teams in the country, led by second-ranked UCLA, No. 7 Arizona State, Furman, No. 15 Kent State, 18th-ranked Texas and 23rd-ranked Oklahoma.
“We are excited to head to Lubbock for the NCAA Regional,” said Furman head coach Jeff Hull. “We have done well in Texas in the past, and I hear nothing but great things about The Rawls Course. It will be nice to compete without the pressure of classes, as we will be done with exams and be able to totally focus on golf.”
Furman, which secured the Southern Conference's automatic bid to an NCAA regional by capturing its 16th SoCon Championship earlier this week at the Country Club of Lexington in Lexington, South Carolina, will make its third consecutive and 20th overall NCAA Regional appearance. The Paladins appeared in 17 straight regionals from 1993, when the regional format began, until 2010. Furman finished fourth last season at the NCAA Bryan Regional in Bryan, Texas, and went on to place 20th at the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon.
The Paladins' lineup for the regional will include senior Taylor Totland, junior Alice Chen, sophomore Haylee Harford, and freshmen Carly Burkhardt and Natalie Srinivasan.
ETSU's Loy earns individual invitation to NCAA Columbus Regional
INDIANAPOLIS – Southern Conference Player of the Year Loy Hee Ying learned on Monday afternoon that her sophomore season isn't over as she was selected to compete in the Columbus Regional Site of the NCAA tournament as an individual.
“We are very excited to have Loy represent our women's golf program in the NCAA regionals,” said head coach Stefanie Shelton. “She has been playing on a new level this year and worked hard to earn that first seed position as an individual.”
“I am familiar with the Scarlet Course at Ohio State having played there myself and coached there. I look forward to watching Loy in this next stage.”
Loy was selected as one of 24 at-large individuals. The sophomore is currently ranked No. 56 nationally, according to GolfStat.com.
The three-day Columbus Regional Site is hosted by Ohio State and will be played on the OSU Golf Club (Scarlet Course). The course is a par-72 and is 6,416 yards in distance. The first day of the regional is set to begin on May 8 at 7:30 a.m. and will conclude on May 10.
The SoCon Player of the Year leads the conference with a 72.11 stroke average and won two individual titles during her sophomore campaign – the River Landing Classic and The Brickyard Intercollegiate. She finished in the top five in seven events this year and in the top 10 in eight of the 10 outings this fall and spring.
In her second year at ETSU, she broke the course and tournament record at the River Landing Classic as she carded a 7-under 65. That score was also the lowest score recorded by any SoCon golfer in the last 12 seasons.
A total of 384 participants have been selected for regional competition. Of these players, 132 will advance to the championship finals. Six teams and three individuals will advance from each regional site.
The national championships with begin May 19-24 at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Illinois. The final three days of the championship will be televised live by the Golf Channel.