Spring Time Tune-Up in Store for Women’s Golf

- J. Andrew Lockwood -
Senior Editor / Sports Columnist
james.andrew.lockwood@student.mercer.edu

Last year, the spring weather was consistently unpredictable.  From playing in 30 mph gusts in California to lightning delays in South Carolina to snow flurries at the A-Sun Championship in Tennessee, the women’s golf team struggled to find their groove as the season wore on.  A tournament win at the Cateechee Collegiate in Hartwell Georgia started off 2008 on a good note, but inconsistencies plagued the Bears down the stretch as they finished 6^th in the Atlantic Sun Championships. 

Junior Monica Kelsey hopes to reverse their fortunes in the coming months, elaborating, “I’m definitely looking forward to the spring with much warmer weather than last year.  We will be expecting low scores and a great finish at the A-Sun Championship in April.”  As Kelsey said, expectations are a bit higher this year, despite having no seniors on the squad.  Head Coach Gary Guyer’s squad consists of four juniors, one sophomore, four freshman and two commitments for the 2009-10 season.

The fall season wasn’t exactly kind to the Bears in terms of how the team placed in tournaments, but Guyer certainly didn’t shy away from the nation’s top tier tournaments either.  After hosting their first home tournament in some time (Eat A Peach Collegiate – Macon, Ga), the Bears traveled to the LPGA International – Xavier Invitational in Daytona Beach, Florida and to the Hatter Invitational in nearby DeLand.  Upcoming stops in the spring will include the Kiawah Island Intercollegiate in South Carolina as well as the Hiddenbrook Intercollegiate in California. 

Statistically speaking, Guyer will rely on a trio of juniors in Kelsey, Alex Quagliata, and Carolyn Levy for dependable play this spring as well as developing freshmen Alicia Poole and Leslie Choucard.  As Guyer and his team look forward to the spring schedule and aim for consistent play, they’ll also be hoping for warmer and more consistent weather as well.

  

            2009 Women’s Golf Schedule

Dates	Tournament	Location
2/15-17	Qdoba Invitational	Miami Lakes, FL
2/22-24	Kiawah Island Women’s Invitational	Kiawah Island, SC
3/7-8	Cateechee Collegiate Classic	Hartwell, GA
3/14-16	Hiddenbrooke Intercollegiate	Vallejo, CA
3/30-31	Larry Nelson Collegiate	Braselton, GA
4/13-15	A-Sun Conference Championship	DeLand, FL
5/7-9	NCAA Regionals	Gainesville, FL
5/19-22	NCAA Finals	Owing Mills, MD