THE TEAM
- Penn State’s starting lineup for the week features a pair of returning players and three newcomers as senior Myranda Quinton (Burlington, Ontario) and sophomore Jiratchaya Jiratthitinun (Bangkok, Thailand) make return trips to Yeamans Hall joined by sophomore transfer Hannah Rabb (Watsontown, Pa.) and freshmen Audrey Lam (Maisieres, Belgium) and Lillian Guleserian (Westwood, Mass.) making their collegiate debuts.
- Last season, Penn State finished 16th in the 17-team field at 35-over paced by Jiratthitinun at 3-over, 216, finishing in a tie for 26th.
- Jiratthitinun led the Nittany Lions with a 73.13 stroke average last season after competing in all 11 events as a freshman with three top-10 finishes and 14 rounds of even-par or better.
- Penn State is young after graduating three seniors, all of whom saw significant time in the starting rotation during their time in Happy Valley. This opens up plenty of opportunity for the five sophomores and three freshmen on the roster in 2025-26.
COURSE OVERVIEW
- Ranked as the second-best course in South Carolina and the 99th best in the United States by Golf Digest, Yeamans Hall is a difficult par-71, 6,269-yard Seth Raynor designed course. Referred to as “a time capsule in Charleston” the course was built in 1925.
- Don’t let the modest course yardage fool you into thinking this is a short course, as several drives must be played into upslopes which afford little forward ball momentum. Nearly half the holes move up and down over 15 feet.
- From top100golfcourses.com: Yeamans Hall enjoys just about the firmest playing conditions of any course on the eastern seaboard of the United States and it is blessed with wide, tree-lined fairways and greens which are a trademark of their designer.
THE FIELD
- This year’s field consists of 17 teams including perennial SEC powers Auburn (No. 18), LSU (No. 7), Georgia, Tennessee (RV), Florida (No. 13) and Ole Miss (No. 20). Auburn will look to defend its 2024 title while LSU looks to avenge a one-stroke difference and topple the field this season. Ole Miss capture the event title in 2022 and 2023.
- Penn State and Maryland are the lone representatives of the Big Ten while Virginia Tech, Miami, NC State, Boston College and Clemson (RV) represent the ACC.
- Yale, Georgetown, Furman, UCF (RV) and the host Cougars round out the field.
The Nittany Lions will be paired with Georgetown and Yale for the first two rounds on Monday with an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start. The final round on Tuesday will feature an 8:45 a.m. shotgun.
Live scoring for the 21st annual Cougar Classic will be available HERE!
NEXT UP
Penn State has the next week off from competition before hosting the 48th annual Nittany Lion Invitational at the Penn State Blue Course on September 21-22.
