Women's Golf Opens Spring Season Sunday
2/18/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
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After a successful, though somewhat inconsistent, fall 2005 season for the Crimson Tide women’s golf team, Alabama is set to open the spring portion of the season this weekend when the Tide travels to Miami, Fla., to compete in the Papa John’s Collegiate Invitational on Sunday, Feb. 19.
The Tide, under first-year head coach Mic Potter, who came to Tuscaloosa after 23 successful campaigns at Furman University, opened up Potter’s tenure with a bang last fall. Alabama won its own Ann Rhoads Intercollegiate in dramatic fashion, coming from behind to capture the team title in the final round of play.
The next three outings, were up-and-down for the team, as the new lineup struggled to maintain the momentum on a consistent basis. Alabama finished 14th at the Mercedes-Benz Invitational and third at the Seminole Classic in October.
The final outing of the fall schedule took the Tide to the Derby Invitational in Auburn, where the squad faced several of the top-ranked teams in the nation. Alabama turned in one of its best performances of the fall season in the highly-competitive field, placing ninth at the event.
One of the constants for the team has been standout junior Jenny Suh. Suh, who earned All-American honors as a sophomore at Furman, completed her first season at the Capstone as one of the best golfers in the SEC and in the nation.
Suh, who owns the teams lowest stroke average, averaging 73.0 strokes per round, racked up three more top-five finishes in the fall, giving her 14 top-10 finishes in her illustrious career. She captured the individual title at the ACC/SEC Challenge that included a 69, her season-low individual round.
Sarah Sturm, a fellow transfer from Furman, had a solid season for the Tide, averaging 77.58 strokes per round. Sturm competed in all four tournaments for Alabama in her first season in a Tide uniform.
Carina Sorensen, Laura Goodwin and senior Audrey Gale each saw significant action in the fall as well. Sorensen had a top-10 finish in the fall season, helping Alabama earn the victory at the Ann Rhoads Intercollegiate.
The Tide will be competing with several of the top teams in the nation this spring, as the SEC boasts several of the top-ranked squads in the country. Alabama will be searching for its first NCAA Regional appearance since 2004.
Play at the Papa John’s Collegiate is slated to begin at 12:30 eastern time on Sunday, with one round scheduled on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
