MARICOPA, Ariz. – The Penn State women's golf team is one of ten teams set to compete in the inaugural women's National Golf Invitational, a new collegiate event to be played May 11-14 at Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club in Maricopa, Arizona.
Presented in partnership with Golfweek, the NGI will be competed as a 54-hole stroke play event with normal scoring of play five count four. The teams will begin the week with a practice round on May 11 followed by one 18-hole round per day from May 12-14.
"We are all very excited about the upcoming NGI Invitational. Playing in the inaugural event is an absolute honor," mentioned head coach Denise St. Pierre. "I believe this is very important for collegiate golf. With over 300 Division I teams and only the top 60 along with AQs getting an invitation to NCAA Regionals it very often leaves out some very good teams."
"We finished the season ranked No. 68 with one of our lowest scoring averages in program history, so to not have any form of postseason play after a very successful season would have been a tough way to see it come to an end. The experience the team will gain being on a national stage is extremely beneficial. This team deserves to have this opportunity. We look forward to the tournament and the competition. We plan to represent Penn State and hope to rise to the top!"
The Nittany Lions are joined by fellow Big Ten foe Iowa along with Mercer, Western Carolina, Texas State, Santa Clara, UC Riverside, Middle Tennessee, Grand Canyon University and Seattle in the inaugural field.
THE COURSE
- Ak-Chin Southern Dunes has played host to numerous major tournaments and events since opening in 2002, serving as an annual U.S. Open qualifying site, host site for the first stage of the PGA TOUR's Korn Ferry Tour Q-School, and several top collegiate men's and women's golf tournaments, including the Copper Cup, a two-day Ryder Cup-style event featuring in-state rivals the University of Arizona and Arizona State University men's golf teams.
- Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club was designed by Brian Curley and PGA TOUR veteran Fred Couples in 2002. Originally developed as a private club by private investors, the championship Australian Sandbelt-style golf course sits on 320 acres of land that was once a part of the Ak-Chin's May 1912 reservation before it was removed by Presidential Executive Order in late 1912. Nearly 100 years later, in 2010, the Ak-Chin Community recovered its sacred land when it purchased the golf facility and opened the course to public play. The course currently boasts several coveted accolades, including being included on Golfweek's coveted rankings of the "Top 100 Resort Courses" and "Best Courses You Can Play."
- The course is a Par-72, 6,493-yard world class adventure.
As a team this season Penn State is averaging 292.09 per 18-hole round with seven top-10 finishes, five of which have been in the top-five. The Nittany Lions stroke average is more than four full strokes better than a season ago and is currently one of the lowest all-time in the history of the program at this point in the season.
The Nittany Lions are paced by senior Mathilde Delavallade (Royan, France) with a 72.25 stroke average to go along with five top-10 finishes including a trio of top-5's. Senior Sarah Willis (Eaton, Ohio) is second on the team with a 73.13 stroke average and a pair of top-5 finishes. The stroke average for both student-athletes mark the lowest of their careers to this point in the season.