Texas Tech University Athletics
Women's Golf to Compete in Back-to-back Tournaments
March 07, 2007 | Women's Golf
March 7, 2007
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
LUBBOCK, Texas - After struggling on courses outside of the United States, the Red Raider women's golf team will return to familiar tournaments as they compete in back-to-back competitions beginning on March 9th. The Tech team will first take part in the Rio Verde Invitational in Rio Verde, Ariz., then travel 300 miles to Las Vegas, Nev., for the UNLV Spring Invitational. The Vegas tournament is set to begin on Monday, March 12.
The fifth annual Rio Verde Collegiate Invitational will take place over the course of three days with 18 holes on each March 9-11. The Quail Run Course at the Rio Verde Country Club will host the event. Friday's round is set to begin at 1 p.m., with both Saturday and Sunday teeing off at 8 a.m. Live scoring is available for the event at www.golfstat.com.
Following the Rio Verde, the team will play on the Boulder Creek Golf Club in Boulder City, directly outside of Las Vegas. The event is the third edition of the UNLV Spring Invitational hosted by the UNLV Rebels. The teams will compete in the three-day event with 18 holes being played Monday through Wednesday. Live scoring will also be available for this event on www.golfstat.com.
Complete Red Raider results of both events will be available on www.texastech.com as soon as each day is complete.
ON THE COURSE
The Rio Verde Country Club in Rio Verde, Ariz., will host the first of the two tournaments for the Red Raiders. The club has a total of 36 holes at the facility, including the 18-hole Quail Run Course. The Quail Run will be used for the tournament and is a par-72 6,277 yard course.
At the UNLV Spring Invitational, the Red Raiders will play on the Boulder Creek Course near Las Vegas, Nev. The par-72 course opened in 2003 and stretches across 6,153 yards. For more information on the 27-hole course, you may visit the course website at www.bouldercreekgc.com.
THE COMPETITION
The Rio Verde is scheduled to have an 18-team field and is lacking in any top 25 team on either the Golf World/NGCA Coaches Poll or Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index. The top team in the field is Big 12 member Baylor who is ranked 46th. The remaining teams listed in order of ranking are as follows: Missouri State (76), Arkansas Little Rock (78), Eastern Michigan (81), Texas Tech (86), Wisconsin (90), Toledo (95), Southern Illinois (97), Illinois State (101), Illinois (104), Cincinnati (109), Xavier (110), host Western Michigan (119), Minnesota (121), Bradley (128), Ball State (152), Bowling Green (169) and Ohio (172).
The Red Raiders have faced six of the teams in previous tournaments, compiling a 4-4 record against them. Tech has defeated Ball State, Western Michigan and Minnesota (twice). Losses came against Arkansas Little Rock, Baylor and Wisconsin.
Scheduled to compete at the UNLV Spring Invitational (not yet finalized) include two teams in the top 25 of the Golf World/NGCA Coaches Poll, No. 15 New Mexico and No. 20 BYU. Other possible competitors are, listed in order of ranking: host UNLV (32), Campbell (33), San Francisco (39), Washington State (48), Fresno State (51), Nebraska (52), Indiana (53), Long Beach State (55), New Mexico State (57), Idaho (65), Notre Dame (68), Iowa (72), Boise State (83), Texas Tech (86), San Diego State (96) and Eastern Washington (108).
Familiar teams that Tech has already faced include nine of the possible competitors. The Red Raiders have earned a 4-9 record against the teams, including wins against Boise State, BYU, Iowa and San Diego State. Key losses have been against BYU and San Francisco.
THE LAST TEE
The Red Raiders have already completed two spring tournaments, the Baja Classic in Mexico and the Lady Puerto Rico Classic in Puerto Rico. The Baja was cut short as the teams only finished 36 holes of competition and Texas Tech placed sixth of 15.
At the Baja, two Red Raiders tied for 15th, marking only the second time this season that multiple Tech members have finished in the top 20. Gloriana Soto finished with rounds of 78-76--154, while Ulrika Van Niekerk fired scores of 76-78--154. One shot behind her teammates was Rosalyn Kim, as she turned in rounds of 77-78--155 to tie for 25th position.
Texas Tech continued on their out-of-States roadtrip as they participated in the Lady Puerto Rico Classic, where conditions were not favorable to the Red Raiders. Tech had their highest rounds of the year (315-318-314--947) to finish 15th out of 16 squads.
For the third time during the 2006-07 season, the top Red Raider failed to place 20th or better as van Niekerk led all to tie for 45th. The South Africa native finished with scores of 76-78-78--232. Soto was six shots back with rounds of 77-83-78--238, tying for 58th.
Melissa Fahey and Rosalyn Kim both tied for 68th with a 25-over 241. Megan Dowdy was the final component of the Red Raider team and she tied for 73rd with a 36-hole score of 242.
JUST LAST YEAR
The current portion of the Red Raider schedule is quite familiar to the Tech team and for good reason. Just last year Texas Tech competed in the Rio Verde Invitational followed by the UNLV Spring Invitational. Both tournaments are also being played on the same courses this season.
At last year's Rio Verde, the Red Raiders finished with their second-highest finish of the season. The team placed fourth with rounds of 309-308-303--920, 68-over-par.
Two individual Tech members placed in the top 20, including one in the top 10. Megan Dowdy finished with her top-career finish when she tied for seventh with scores of 76-71-78--225. Then-senior Ashley Slavich tied for 18th after carding rounds of 75-79-76--230.
In a more difficult field, the Red Raiders tied for 10th at last year's UNLV Spring Invitational. The team turned in scores of 303-302-316--921 to finish 57-over-par.
Dowdy again led all Red Raiders, but missed the top 20 after carding 75-74-78--227, 11-over-par. Slavich was second on the team and tied for 39th, firing 76-77-76--229.
Players Mentioned
