Lady'Back golf hits the links at the Liz Murphey

FAYETTEVILLE – The 10th-ranked University of Arkansas women’s golf team returns to the links this weekend in Athens, Ga., for the 36th Annual Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic.

Arkansas comes off a fourth-place finish highlighted by medalist honors for senior Stacy Lewis at the rain Betsy Rawls Longhorn Classic in Austin, Texas, last weekend.

The Lady Razorbacks battle a tough 18-team field that is a virtual preview of the NCAAs, including top-ranked Duke, No. 7 Purdue, No. 8 Auburn, No. 11 Georgia, No. 12 Alabama, No. 13 Wake Forest and No. 18 Kent State all in the top 20 of this week’s Golf World/NGCA Coaches Poll.

“We haven’t been playing bad golf,” said Arkansas head coach Shauna Estes-Taylor, “but we just haven’t played our best yet. This team just continues to work hard and learn with each round and I feel like we’re going in the right direction. We had some challenges in Texas but we’re excited to get back out there and apply what we’ve learned.”

Arkansas stays with its lineup from last week, headlined by Lewis’ win. The victory is the 10th in The Woodlands, Texas, native’s career and her fourth this season. Texas has always been good for Lewis who won the event as a freshman and was second last year.

Also competing this weekend is junior Lucy Nunn, sophomores Kristin Ingram and Corinna Rees and freshman Kelli Shean. Nunn and Shean have also competed in every event this year and the seasoned lineup has been in the top five in six of the seven events this year.

Arkansas’ whirl-wind schedule continues as the Lady Razorbacks travel to the Bryan National Collegiate in Brown Summit, N.C. March 28-30, in the final event before the Southeastern Conference Championship in Knoxville, Tenn. For more information about Arkansas golf, please log on to LADYBACKS.COM.