KSU’s women’s golf team has begun its defense of its 2012 Atlantic Sun Conference title, opening its season this week at the Old Waverly Bulldog Invitational at the Old Waverly Golf Club in West Point, Ms. The three day tournament will conclude on Wednesday.
“There is a good competition at this tournament. My hope
is that we will start the year
off very well,” KSU head coach Rhyll Brinsmead said. “It is just really important, particularly for rankings, to have a solid start and not be scrambling throughout the fall to try to make up lost ground.”
The Owls return a star-
studded cast to the links, including the dynamic duo of Ket and Kaew Preamchuen. The sisters, senior and sophomore respectively, lead the Owls’ attack. Sophomores Ines Lescudier and Lea Charpier are tabbed to play in the three and four slots for the Owls, along with junior Lindsay Adams in the five spot.
“We’ve had a great three weeks of practice,” Brinsmead said. “I’m just really excited for where the team is at and the work they have been putting
in. It is fun to watch them be proactive in practice and to take some ownership in what they need to do. They know what they need to do now to win.
Our goal is to get out there and a top three performance we would be happy to walk away with to start the year.”
Winning at the Old Waverly Bulldog Invitational will not
be an easy task for the Black and Gold. Among the field of 11 teams are No. 23 ranked Arkansas, Cincinnati, Kentucky, Memphis, Murray State, South Alabama, South Florida, Southern Mississippi, Tulane, and the hosting Mississippi State Bulldogs.
Arkansas, Kentucky, Mississippi State, South Florida, and Tulane all competed in the NCAA Tournament last season, as did the Owls. KSU finished 20th in the 24 team field in the
West Regional Championships in Erie, Co., last season.
Four players for KSU have been named All-Conference performers, nearly rounding out the entire starting lineup. Kaew Preamchuen was
named an A-Sun All-Freshman performer last year, following in the footsteps of her talented sister, Ket, who has been one of the conferences’ top players since her arrival at KSU. Both sisters have competed in
the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship in the past two years.
The team has excelled in the classroom as well. Ket, Lescudier and Hayley Clinning were named to the 2011-
2012 National Golf Coaches Association of America’s All- American Scholar Team.
In just its eight season, the women’s golf team has excelled at the Division I level of the NCAA. Brinsmead has helped the team progress since her arrival in the 2007-2008 season, and the Owls won their first conference title last year.
To follow the final day of the Old Waverly Bulldog Invitiaonl, visit golfstatresults.com.
KSU will hit the links again on Monday in the Dale McNamara Invitational, hosted by the University of Tulsa, at the Patriot Golf Club in Tulsa, Ok.