Razorbacks at the Bryan

FAYETTEVILLE — The University of Arkansas women’s golf team takes part in the final tune-up before the postseason competing at the Bryan National in Greensboro, N.C. this weekend.

The event is the last regular season contest before the Razorbacks take part in the Southeastern Conference Championship in Tuscaloosa, Ala., April 16-18.

The Razorbacks have had a tough spring. Weather conditions forced the team inside during much of the early practice period and Arkansas had a bit of a slow start to the semester.

But head coach Shauna Estes-Taylor and the Razorbacks seemed to find a groove at last week’s 38th Annual Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic in Athens, Ga.

The Razorbacks played to a third-place finish at the Liz paced by junior Kelli Shean’s fifth-place showing.

Shean again leads Arkansas into battle this weekend along with seniors Kristin Ingram and Tiffany Phelps, junior Corinna Rees and freshman Victoria Vela.

“We’ve been searching all year for consistency top to bottom in the lineup,” Estes-Taylor said. “We got that last week in Georgia and I’m hoping that success carries over this week as well. Kristin really stepped up last week. She’s been working to take her game to another level and her success was awesome to see.

"If Kelli and Kristin can put themselves in contention to win the golf tournament and the other three can ham-and-egg it, we can compete with anyone in the country,” Estest-Taylor said.

Arkansas, ranked No. 34 in this week’s Golfstat.com poll, needs that confidence and ability to compete this week against another loaded field at the Bryan. The field includes No. 2 Auburn, No. 4 Duke and No. 10 Wake Forest from the top 10.

Also competing is No. 67 College of Charleston, No. 30 Florida State, No. 17 LSU, No. 25 Louisville, No. 41 Northwestern, No. 28 North Carolina, No. 55 North Carolina State, No. 78 UNC-Greensboro, No. 84 UNC-Wilmington, No. 16 Ohio State, No. 27 South Carolina, No. 15 Tennessee, No. 19 Vanderbilt and No. 12 Virginia.

“This is a great field and a great golf course,” said Estes-Taylor. “It’s similar to Georgia. Kelli and Kristin have seen the course before. I think we can go in and do a good job on the practice round and get ready for the event.”

Arkansas is paired with North Carolina and Florida State in the first round with the first tee time set for 10:05 a.m. central.