[su_spacer size=”40″] “There’s so much history with Coach Murphey’s name being attached to the tournament,” head coach Josh Brewer said. “Also, we have one of the best golf courses in the country and we are always eager to show it off.”
[su_spacer size=”40″] Spectators will more than likely get a chance to see this year’s NCAA champion. Teams that have captured 13 of the last 15 NCAA titles will be on hand. The field also features four of the top-five teams in the latest Golfstat rankings, as well as 16 of the top 50 individuals.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Southern Cal is currently ranked No. 1 and will attempt to defend its title from last year’s Liz Murphey. Also competing are No. 20 Alabama, Auburn, No. 7 Arkansas, Baylor, No. 5 Duke, Georgia, No. 9 Northwestern, Purdue, No. 3 South Carolina, No. 16 Stanford and No. 4 UCLA.
[su_spacer size=”40″] Duke’s Leona Maguire is the No. 1-ranked active golfer according to Golfstat, with additional top-10 players No. 3 Bronte Law of UCLA, No. 6 Kyung Kim of Southern Cal and No. 7 Celine Boutier of Duke also in the field.
[su_spacer size=”40″] The format for the Liz Murphey will differ from traditional 54-hole, stroke play college tournaments. Friday’s schedule will feature 18 holes of stroke play. Those results will determine both the individual medalist and seedings for match play competition on Saturday and Sunday.
[su_spacer size=”40″] The top-eight teams will be seeded at those positions in the “Red” bracket, while the places 9-12 will go into the “Black” bracket. All teams will play two matches on Saturday and a single match on Sunday, the same schedule that will be used to determine the NCAA team champion for the first time ever later this spring.
[su_spacer size=”40″] “We have a great field, as always, but playing a format similar to the one we’ll use for the first time to determine our national champion for this season makes it even more exciting,” Brewer said. “It’s a very special week. And we’re really excited to play at home. We only get the chance to do that once a season.”
[su_spacer size=”40″] Georgia’s lineup will consist of Sammi Lee, Harang Lee, Manuela Carbajo Ré, Sylvie Brick and Rocio Sanchez Lobato.
[su_spacer size=”40″] “I’m probably more familiar with this golf course than any other course in the world,” Brick said. “It should be a big advantage that we practice here and play qualifying rounds here. There are places on the course that I know about that you probably wouldn’t get to cover if you were just playing a practice round. I’m excited about the weekend.”
[su_spacer size=”40″] “Playing match play is totally different,” Sanchez Lobato said. “In stroke play, you’re playing every hole as it adds up to your total at the end of the day. In match play, the hole you’re playing is all that really matters. And if you have a bad hole, you have the chance to erase that at the next hole.”
[su_spacer size=”40″] Live scoring will be updated throughout the weekend at www.birdiefire.com.