Wake Forest Athletics
Wake Forest in Athens for Liz Murphey Collegiate
3/20/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
March 20, 2008
The No. 9 Wake Forest women's golf team will try for its third consecutive top three finish this weekend at the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic in Athens, Ga. This marks the eighth consecutive appearance for the Deacs in the event.
The Deacs will send senior Laura Crawford, juniors Nannette Hill and Jean Chua, and freshmen Allie Bodemann and Natalie Sheary.
"I feel good going into the tournament. Our players are hitting it well," Wake Forest head coach Dianne Dailey said. "Everyone played well in the practice round. Getting the right clubs in their hands will be key. The course is playing long because of the rain they've had down here. We'll have to use a lot of good course management and be patient to play well."
Sheary leads the squad in scoring this season with an average of 73.4 strokes per 18 holes. Hill is second with an average of 74.5, Crawford is third at 74.8, Bodemann is fifth on the team with a 75.5 and Chua currently holds an average of 77.
Teams will play the par-72, 6,335-yard University Golf Course, the home course of tournament host Georgia.
The Liz Murphey field includes No. 1 Duke, No. 10 Auburn, No. 12 Arkansas, No. 13 Georgia, No. 14 Alabama, No. 16 Tennessee and ACC foes Florida State and Virginia.
"It's a very strong field, probably the most competitive field we've seen this spring," Dailey said. "These are the best teams in the east."
Wake has recorded top five finishes in four of its past five events.
In their seven previous appearances at the Liz Murphey, the Deacs best results are a third place finish in 2006 and a third place tie in 2003. Mandy Goins tied for second place in the race for individual honors in 2006 after shooting a six-over 222.
Last season Wake posted a seventh-place finish and was once again led by Goins, who graduated last spring. Hill led current team members with a 14-over 227 to tie for 28th, Chua shot a 228 (+15) to tie for 33rd, sophomore Dolores White carded a 229 to tie for 39th, and Crawford ended the scoring for Wake with a 235 (+22) to finish tied for 56th.
The Deacs will tee-off Friday at 9 p.m.
The weather will be cool in Athens for the first round with tee-time temperatures in the low 40s and a high of 73 degrees projected by weather.com.
Players Mentioned
