JOHNS ISLAND, S.C. – The Penn State women's golf team travels to South Carolina to compete in the Briar's Creek Invitational hosted by the College of Charleston at the Golf Club at Briar's Creek on Monday and Tuesday.
This marks the seventh-annual Briar's Creek Invitational and Penn State has competed in them all finishing fourth last season and as high as second in 2014. The Nittany Lions are poised for another strong finish at the par-72, 6,101-yard course where all, but one player from the starting five is very familiar.
Half of the 17-team field falls inside the top-50 nationally as ranked by golfstat.com including four teams inside the top-25 in Furman (No. 20), Clemson (No. 22), Michigan State (No. 23) and Campbell (No. 25). Illinois (No. 27), Old Dominion (No. 39), East Carolina (No. 45) and the No. 50 Nittany Lions close out the top-50.
Also in the field this week is Middle Tennessee, Kansas, Indiana, Long Beach State, Georgetown, Boston College, Charleston Southern, UNC Asheville and the host team Colle of Charleston.
The teams will play 36 holes of continuous play on Monday with a 9 a.m. shotgun start followed by a single 18-hole round on Tuesday concluding the tournament with an 8:45 a.m. shotgun start.
LAST TIME OUT
- Penn State earned 10th at the Gator Invitational last weekend finishing strong after a tough opening round with rounds of 287 (7-over) and 290 (10-over).
- Freshman Sarah Willis (Eaton, Ohio) paced the team finishing tied for ninth overall after firing back-to-back rounds under-par to finish the tournament 2-over with a score of 212.
- Senior classmates Cara Basso (Downingtown, Pa.) and Lauren Waller (Canonsburg, Pa.) carded final round scores of 74 (4-over) and 75 (5-over) to finish the tournament tied for 44th and 48th, respectively.
- Junior Megan McLean (Lebanon, N.J.) bounced back from a 10-over par second round with a third round score of 73 (3-over) to finish tied 60th.
- As a team the Nittany Lions registered 36 birdies adding to their growing total from the fall which now stands at 326. If interested in pledging to our 'Birdies For The Heart' initiative please fill our or email head coach at .
THE TEAM
- Coach St. Pierre isn't making any changes from her starting lineup as Willis, Basso, Waller and McLean will join senior Jackie Rogowicz (Yardley, Pa.) to compile the starting five while junior Maddy Herr (New Hope, Pa.) will once again compete as an individual.
- Basso leads the team with a 72.55 stroke average with nine rounds of even-par or better this season and three top-10's including a pair of runner-up finishes. Willis is second on the team with a 72.85 stroke average and has the lone individual first place honor with her record-setting Nittany Lion Invitational Championship.
- As a team, the Nittany Lions are averaging 291.80 per round and have four top-5 finishes in seven events so far this season. Penn State's stroke average is down almost four shots per round from its 2017-18 total of 295.77.
Live scoring for the tournament can be found HERE.
NEXT TIME OUT
Penn State will take a couple weeks off before concluding its regular-season tournament at the Memphis Invitational on April 1-2 in Memphis, Tennessee.