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WGOLF: Dawgs Open Season at the 20th annual Cougar Classic

 The University of Georgia women’s golf team will tee off the 2024-25 season at the 20th annual Cougar Classic, hosted by the College of Charleston, on Monday. The Bulldogs will begin 36 holes of continuous action with a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. on Monday before wrapping up play on Tuesday at the Yeamans Hall Club.

Three golfers will make their Georgia debuts when they take the course on Monday. The lineup for the season-opener features three transfers – sophomores Emma Falcher and Morgan Smith and graduate transfer Chantal El Chaib – as well as two returners, sophomores Celine Brovold Sanne and Grace Frei.

“The team has been working exceptionally hard in preparation for this event,” head coach Erika Brennan said. “They are gelling so well together, and their support of one another has been tremendous to see each day. We know that we’ll need to be aggressive out of the gate this season, and they are up for the challenge. We are looking forward to seeing how we stack up as we begin the quest for a banner year.”

Georgia opens the season ranked No. 28 in the Golfweek preseason poll while receiving votes in the Women’s Golf Coaches Association preseason poll. The Bulldogs are one of 17 teams competing in Hahanan, S.C., with five of those teams earning preseason rankings by Golfweek and/or the WGCA. Auburn leads the field with a No. 10 ranking by Golfweek and No. 6 ranking by the WGCA. LSU came in at No. 13 in both polls while Ole Miss was projected No. 18 by Golfweek and No. 21 by the WGCA. Florida nabbed a No. 20 ranking from Golfweek and No. 22 from the WGCA. Georgia rounds out the ranked field with a No. 28 placement by Golfweek. Other teams competing in South Carolina include Boston College, the College of Charleston, Furman, Georgetown, Georgia Southern, Maryland, Miami (Fla.), NC State, Penn State, SMU, Tennessee, and Virginia Tech.

Georgia’s eight-woman roster features three returners, four transfers, and one freshman. Brovold Sanne was the Bulldogs’ top qualifier heading into the Cougar Classic and will lead the team into its opening tournament. Frei will also see her first action of the season on Monday while three transfers will make their Bulldog debuts. El Chaib will don the Red and Black for the first time following three first-team All-Northeast Conference seasons at Sacred Heart. Falcher followed Brennan to Georgia from South Florida, where she played in all 11 tournaments as a freshman. Smith arrived in Athens from Georgetown, where she earned Big East Freshman of the Year and first-team All-Big East honors during her lone season with the Hoyas.

Georgia will look to make its return to the NCAA Championships for the fourth time in five seasons in Brennan’s first year at the helm of the program. Georgia competed in three-straight NCAA Championships from 2021-23, highlighted by a match-play appearance and a share of fifth place in 2022. The Bulldogs reached the NCAA Auburn Regional last season, tying for sixth place and missing out on their fourth-straight NCAA Championship berth by one stroke. Georgia will enter this season seeking its 30th top-20 finish at the national championships appearances in team history.

The Bulldogs are kicking off their season at the Cougar Classic for the fourth-straight season. In last year’s opener, Georgia compiled a 16-under performance, its third-best in program history, to finish sixth as a team.

The Bulldogs will be paired with Auburn and SMU for Monday’s two rounds. Live scoring will be available at https://gado.gs/c2o.

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