Lady Govs golf heads to Carbondale for Saluki Invitational

APSU Women’s Golf

Clarksville, TN – Austin Peay State University women’s golf team will head north this weekend to Carbondale, IL, to compete in the 17th Annual Saluki Invitational, presented by Forbes Financial.

The two-day, 36-hole tournament will be played Sunday and Monday at Hickory Ridge Golf Course on a 6,070-yard, par-72 layout. The course, opened in 1993, was designed by William J. Spear, ASGCA.

In their spring season’s third event, the Lady Govs will be part of a 14-team field that also will include Ohio Valley Conference foes Eastern Kentucky and Eastern Illinois and future OVC opponent, SIU Edwardsville. In addition, to host Southern Illinois, four other Missouri Valley schools also will be participating, Bradley, Creighton, Drake and Indiana State. Northern Illinois, Western Illinois and Toledo also will help comprise the field.

“There is a great field this weekend at SIU,” said APSU coach Sara Robson. “We have been working hard and have finally have had some great weather (for practice).

“The last event (EKU El Diablo Intercollegiate) we struggled with our ball striking, with keeping a positive attitude and our confidence. I believe we are stronger in all three of these areas and that should lead to a great weekend.”

The SIU tourney possesses one unique feature. While most tournament allow five players to compete each round–counting the top four scores-SIU’s event allows six competitors, counting the top four scores.

Austin Peay’s lineup will feature its top finishers from Florida: senior Chelsea Harris, sophomore Holly Batey, senior Catie Tucker, redshirt freshman Tabitha Beard, senior Ashley Wathen and junior Ashley Averitt.

The Lady Govs’ two first-year freshmen, Rachel Deaton and Tala Mumford, will compete as individuals.

” The key to this weekend,” Robson said, “will be to keep the ball in play, stay positive and work hard to get the ball in the hole even if we don’t hit a great shot every time.”