Lady'Back Linksters go West

FAYETTEVILLE — The sixth-ranked University of Arkansas women’s golf team hits the road for the second consecutive week traveling to the Las Vegas Founders Showdown at Anthem Country Club in Henderson, Nev., Monday-Wednesday. Arkansas has had a busy fall and the UNLV-hosted event is the fourth of five for Lady’Back head coach Kelley Hester and her team. The Las Vegas Showdown features a challenging course, a field of teams the Lady’Backs don’t see often during the regular season and a chance for Hester to return to a team she built from scratch before becoming the Lady’Backs’ head coach. "I didn’t want to go back until I felt like we were ready," said Hester of her return to Vegas. "It would mean a lot to me to go out there and play well, and to put ourselves in position to win the tournament. The more I see our team compete, the more I realize how really good we are. I’m excited to go back (to Las Vegas) and I’m proud to take this team out there." Arkansas will get a look at several teams out of the West Region including second-ranked UCLA and No. 4 Pepperdine. The Lady’Backs enter the week ranked sixth followed by No. 8 Arizona State, and No. 11 UNLV. Other teams in the field include No. 23 Arizona, No. 33 BYU, No. 63 Colorado State, No. 140 Eastern Washington, No. 28 Kent State, No. 30 Missouri, No. 31 Notre Dame, No. 73 Oklahoma, No. 27 Oregon, No. 22 SMU and No. 45 TCU. The Lady’Backs are coming off a solid finish in the last outing at the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Classic, paced by senior Amanda McCurdy’s first title of her final season in the Cardinal and White. The El Dorado, Ark., native led the field wire-to-wire winning with a personal-best 213, as Arkansas finished third overall in the talented field. In addition to McCurdy, seniors Courtney Mahon and Lindsey Hinshaw will also travel this week as will sophomores Stacy Lewis and Ashley Medders. The Lady Razorbacks wrap up the fall at the Hooters Match Play Championship at Howie-In-The-Hills, Fla., Nov. 11-13. The invitation-only event features the top finishers from last year’s NCAA Championship and the Lady’Backs are participating for the first time in program history. For more information about Arkansas golf log on to LADYBACKS.COM.