Estes-Taylor Announces 2017-18 Golf Schedule

Schedule (pdf)
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – One new event, one that returns to the schedule and several of the top fields in college golf highlight the 2017-18 University of Arkansas women’s golf schedule announced Wednesday by head coach Shauna Estes-Taylor.

“Each year we try and put together a schedule that will challenge our players and prepare them for the postseason,” Estes-Taylor said. “I feel great about the 2017-18 lineup because it gives us a good mix of familiar events along with a couple of new sites that help us prepare for the unknowns of the postseason. Each tournament and each course is selected with the goal of getting us ready for the SEC, NCAA Regional and NCAA Championships, and I’m looking forward to getting our team out there and seeing what we can do.”

Arkansas has four fall events opening with the Mason Rudolph Championship in Franklin, Tennessee, Sept. 15-17. The tournament returns to Arkansas’ schedule after a four-year hiatus with the Razorbacks most recent appearance coming in 2012.

After another strong showing in 2016-17, the Razorbacks received its third consecutive invitation to the 12-team ANNIKA Intercollegiate presented by 3M, Oct. 1-3. The 54-hole stroke play event moves to Eden Prairie, Minnesota, this year, taking place at Olympic Hills Golf Course. In addition to the tournament, players and coaches are treated to a gala reception hosted by former LPGA professional and World No. 1 player Annika Sorenstam.

Arkansas has a busy October with trips to the Ruth’s Chris Tar Heel Invitational and the Alamo Invitational rounding out the four-event fall. The Chapel Hill, North Carolina tournament appearance will be the 10th time the Razorbacks have played an event at the UNC Finley Course. It has been a regular on the schedule for the past six seasons with Arkansas counting five consecutive top-5 finishes.

The fall will conclude with a trip south to the Maryb S. Kauth Alamo Invitational in San Antonio, Texas. The Razorbacks are the defending champs and will make their fifth consecutive appearance at this event. Last season at the event, junior Alana Uriell notched her first collegiate win shooting 204 while Kaylee Benton played to a runner-up finish.

The Razorbacks will return to Puerto Rico to kick off the spring season Feb. 11-13. Arkansas has two team titles, two runner-up appearances and seven top-5 finishes in eight appearances on the Rio Del Mar River Course.

March will feature trips to the Darius Rucker Invitational and a new event, the Evans-Derby Experience, as the season continues. The Darius Rucker Invitational takes the team to Estes-Taylor’s home state of South Carolina for an experience that is more than just golf. Dinner and a private concert are some of the perks of this tournament.

The Evans-Derby Experience is a rebranding of the Auburn Tiger-Derby Invitational celebrating the accomplishments of long-time head coach Kim Evans and alum and 2018 Curtis Cup Team captain Derby Grimes. The event has not been played since the 2008 season.

The Liz Murphey Intercollegiate Classic will wrap up the regular season. The tournament will feature one round of stroke play before teams move on to match play simulating the NCAA Championship format.

The postseason begins at the SEC Championship on April 20-22. League coaches voted to adjust the format of the conference event to include a match play element after three rounds of stroke play.

NCAA events begin in May with four sites of regional action in Tallahassee, Florida; Austin, Texas; Madison, Wisconsin, and Stanford, California, and the NCAA Championship will take place at Karsten Creek in Stillwater, Oklahoma, May 13-23.

For more information on Arkansas women’s golf, follow @RazorbackWGolf on Twitter.

2017-18 Women’s Golf Schedule

*Dates for the SEC Championship could change due to match play format