The 48th annual Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic – originally cancelled in March due the COVID-19 pandemic – will now be contested this fall as one of three Southeastern Conference women’s golf events. On Nov. 6-8, SEC teams will compete in the three-day, 54-hole event at the University of Georgia Golf Course, Georgia women’s golf coach Josh Brewer announced on Wednesday. 

The Liz Murphey Classic is traditionally a spring tournament and was scheduled for March 20-22, 2020 before the SEC suspended all competition on March 12. The 49th annual tournament is slated to be held next spring.

“Six months after it appeared the pandemic would force us to end this long tradition, it is exciting to say we will be hosting the 2020 Liz Murphey,” Brewer said. “We owe many thanks to the leaders at UGA and the SEC who made this a reality. The event will be an SEC-only tournament and will allow us to showcase many of the top golfers and teams in the country.”

The 2020-21 Bulldogs will feature nine returnees and one newcomer. 

Caterina Don, who is currently No. 11 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, headlines Georgia’s roster. Last season, she captured All-America honors after leading the Bulldogs in virtually every statistical category. Georgia also will welcome back Jenny Bae, Gabriela Coello, Caroline Craig, Alison Crenshaw, Celesté Dao, Jo Hua Hung, Candice Mahe and Zoë Walker. Freshman Isabella Holpfer, who has been ranked as high as No. 25 in the WAGR, rounds out the Bulldogs’ lineup.

“The Liz Murphey Fall Collegiate Classic will be the first home event for seven players on our roster,” Brewer said. “It is going to be a unique way to end our competition in the fall. Currently we are staging multiple qualifiers as we are set to begin our fall season in a few weeks at Arkansas. We have seen many low rounds and look forward to competing again very soon.”

The Bulldogs also will compete in the Blessings Invitational at Blessings Golf Club in Fayetteville, Ark., on Oct. 5-7, and in The Ally, hosted by Mississippi State at Old Waverly Golf Club in West Point, Miss., on Oct. 19-21.

About the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic

The Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic is one of the oldest continuous sporting events in women’s intercollegiate athletics. The tournament originally began in 1973 as the Georgia Invitational and was contested as the Women’s Southern Intercollegiates from 1977-94. In 1995, the tourney was renamed in honor of Liz Murphey, UGA’s Hall of Fame golf coach and long-time Senior Woman Administrator. The list of golfers who have competed in the event reads like a “Who’s Who” of women’s golf, including hall of famer’s Beth Daniel, Betsy King and Julie Inkster and recent medalists include current LPGA standouts such as Jillian Hollis, Cheyenne Knight and Gaby Lopez.

About Liz Murphey

Liz Murphey was one of the leading figures in the development and evolution of women’s intercollegiate athletics, both at the University of Georgia and on the national level. Murphey arrived in Athens in 1967, joining UGA’s faculty as an assistant professor and women’s golf coach. Her career progressed into her serving as UGA Athletics’ first Senior Woman Administrator. As a coach, Murphey was the Women’s Golf Coaches Association’s first ever National Coach of the Year in 1984 and was a charter member of the organization’s hall of fame in 1986. As an administrator, she hired many of UGA’s most successful coaches ever, including and current head coaches Jack Bauerle (swimming & diving) and Jeff Wallace (tennis) and retired hall-of-famers Andy Landers (basketball), Beans Kelly (golf) and Suzanne Yoculan (gymnastics). That quartet of coaches has combined to lead Georgia teams to 19 NCAA Championships and 45 SEC Championships.