Estes-Taylor, Razorbacks prepare for NCAAs

Razorbacks Go To Notre DameThe 11th-ranked University of Arkansas women’s golf team was selected to the NCAA Central Regional as a four-seed. The Razorbacks are making the program’s 10th NCAA Regional appearance and their ninth consecutive appearance in 2011. Arkansas travels to the Warren Golf Course in South Bend, Ind., at the Notre Dame-hosted event.

This Week’s FieldThe other teams in Arkansas regional include No. 2 UCLA, No. 5 Duke, No. 8 LSU, No. 16 Wake Forest, No. 20 Texas, No. 14 Tulane, No. 24 Stanford, No. 25 Notre Dame, No. 30 Ohio State, No. 32 Kent State, No. 35 Chattanooga, No. 40 Northwestern, No. 39 Minnesota, No. 43 UNLV, No. 48 Oklahoma State, No. 45 North Texas, No. 56 Wisconsin, No. 54 East Carolina, No. 59 Michigan, No. 61 Illinois, No. 90 Morehead State, No. 146 Illinois State and No. 158 Butler. The field also includes six individual student-athletes whose teams were not selected.

About The CourseThe Warren Golf Course at Notre Dame opened in the fall of 1999 as a result of the generous benefaction of William K. Warren, Jr. (ND ’56). Located just northeast from University of Notre Dame campus, the Warren Golf Course is situated on 240 acres and is designated a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary. Designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, the course is a throwback to the designs of the early 20th century. The course has hosted 18 high-profile golf competitions for the USGA, NCAA, WGA, AJGA and PGA and in 2010 served as the site of the United States Women’s Amateur Public Links Championship.

The course will play as a par 72, 6,208 yard course with a slope rating of 121.

Last YearThe Razorbacks, ranked No. 13 last year, finished 13th at the NCAA West Regional hosted by Stanford at Palo Alto, Calif. Arkansas rallied after a tough start on the first day but could not overcome the deficit.

The Traveling PartyHead coach Shauna Estes-Taylor and the Razorbacks have settled into a traveling lineup for the year. Freshman Emily Tubert and senior Kelli Shean along with senior Corinna Rees, sophomore Victoria Vela and redshirt freshman Emma Lavy make the trip this weekend.

SEC Player RankingsThis week, freshman Emily Tubert is ranked No. 3 in the Southeastern Conference standings and is the top-ranked freshman in one of the toughest leagues. Senior Kelli Shean is ranked No. 12 followed by senior Corinna Rees at No. 30. Redshirt freshman Emma Lavy and sophomore Victoria Vela are tied for 36th in the SEC this week.

Arkansas At The NCAA Regional ChampionshipsThe Razorbacks are making the program’s 10th NCAA Regional appearance in the 16-year history of the program. Arkansas’ first appearance came in 2000 when there were just two regional sites – East and West. Arkansas was sent East under the direction of former head coach Ulrika Belline where they finished 23 in the program’s only East appearance.

The Razorbacks have been to four West and four Central Regional Championships, making three consecutive trips West (2008, 2009, 2010).

Arkansas has advanced out of the Regional Championship to the NCAA Championship three times as a team and once with an individual. The Razorbacks came out of the West twice in 2006 and 2008, the Central once in 2005 and former Razorback Stacy Lewis advanced in 2007 out of the Central. Lewis went on to win the NCAA Individual title that year.

Estes-Taylor and PostseasonCurrent head coach Shauna Estes-Taylor has been a part of nine of Arkansas’ 10 NCAA Regional appearances. She was an assistant coach in 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007 and the head coach in 2008, 2009 and 2010.

Some Statistical Notes About ArkansasThe Razorbacks rank ninth among Division I teams in terms of scoring. As a team, Arkansas averages 294.17 strokes. The Razorbacks are second in the Central Region with that average score.

Individually, freshman Emily Tubert ranks eighth in the country for stroke average with a team-leading 71.90 average this week. Tubert posted the lowest round among the top 50 players with a 63 in Las Vegas this year. Tubert ranks first in the Central Region. Senior Kelli Shean ranks 43rd with a 73.50 stroke average and is 11th in the Central Region.

I’ve Seen You BeforeThe Razorbacks have faced many of the teams in the Central Regional already this year. In 2010-11 against top 25 teams, Arkansas is 0-1 against UCLA, 1-0-1 against Duke, 3-2 versus LSU, 2-0 against Wake Forest, 1-0 versus Tulane and 0-1 against Stanford.

Up NextThe Razorbacks need to finish in the top eight to advance tot he 2011 NCAA Championship. This year’s championship takes place at The Traditions Club in Bryan, Texas, and is hosted by Texas A&M.

Download: 2010 WGF Fact Sheet 11-NCAA Regional Championship.pdf