SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Among a field of 23 teams and over 115 players, the Santa Clara University women's golf program will enter Wyoming's Cowgirl Classic in Chandler, Ariz., with realistic aspirations of contending for a tournament title.
The Broncos moved into the nation's top 100 earlier this month and seem to be playing their best golf of the year at just the right time. Wyoming's event at Ocotillo Golf Resort Monday and Tuesday is the final tune up before the 2011 West Coast Conference Championships, which will be held in Hollister April 18-19.
"I think the team is seeing their hard work starting to pay off," said first-year Santa Clara head coach Krystal Kelly. "I gave them the opportunity to go home during Spring Break, to get some rest and work on their games. I think they are all ready to get back out on the golf course and continue where we left off."
Led by senior Miki Ueoka, who qualified for the NCAA tournament field as a sophomore, SCU has posted three top-five tournament finishes this season. The team shot a season-best round of 303 in its last event, the Fresno State Lexus Classic on March 7-8.
Kelly expects both her senior golfers, Ueoka and Lauren Oh (pictured), to finish their collegiate careers on a high note. Ueoka is already one of the most accomplished players in SCU history, having won a number of events en route to being named an all-conference player in each of her previous three seasons.
Oh was among the top 10 at the Firestone Grill Invitational hosted by Cal Poly earlier this year. Ueoka, Oh and junior all-conference honoree Tamara Surtees have helped Santa Clara enter next week's event in Arizona ranked fifth among the 23-team field.
University of Wyoming Cowgirl Classic
Dates (Site): Monday and Tuesday, April 4-5, 2011 (Chandler, Ariz.)
Host: University of Wyoming
Tournament Field (23 teams): BYU (48), New Mexico State (64), Northern Arizona (73), Portland State (76), Santa Clara (108), UTEP (110), Montana (119), Xavier (122), Cal Poly (131), Boise State (136), Wyoming (138), UC Riverside (142), Louisiana Monroe (152), South Dakota State (161), Sacramento State (163), Seattle (175), Montana State (177), Northern Colorado (180), Southern Utah (182), Weber State (199), Eastern Washington (203), Utah Valley (212), Idaho State (239)
Details: Both days will begin with a 7:30 a.m. local time shotgun start. The field will play two round of 18 holes on Monday and one final round of 18 holes on Tuesday
Course: Ocotillo Golf Resort in Chandler, Ariz.
Yardage/Par: 6,108 yards/Par 72
Website: Ocotillogolf.com
Course Number: (480) 917-6660
Live Scoring: GolfStat.com
