The SMU Mustangs’ women’s golf team will look to bounce back in the Central Distric Tournament in Parrish Florida after their performance in the Puerto Rico Classic last week.
The field features a decently tough field with five teams ranked in the top 50. Vanderbilt will be the class of the field as the 14th best team in the nation followed closely by host Michigan State.
The Mustangs will look for another strong outing from senior leader Felicia Espericueta who opened the year with an impressive eleventh place finish in Puerto Rico.
SMU will also look for a recovery from Melanie White and Alexandra Rossi after they got off to a slow start in their first event of the year.
The Mustangs hope to take advantage of a relatively short course this weekend but the course does not come without challenges. Holes six and 14 will be key as they come in as the hardest two holes on the course.
On hole six, the drive is relatively straight forward as most players will avoid using driver. However on the second shot the green is guarded by water in the front followed by a bunker that makes an up and down extremely difficult.
The 14th hole however will probably decide this tournament based on how the team plays it. It is the toughest hole on the course with a long approach still awaiting after a tough tee shot. Water runs all the way along the left side of the hole and players cannot afford to miss right as this will leave a tough approach into a green that is also guarded by water and a beach bunker. Bogey is not a bad score on this hole but players will want to avoid anything worse.
One of the keys to the tournament on a course that is somewhat short but tricky will be playing with awareness. Players will do well to shoot for the middles of greens and try to play consistent golf.
Consistency is the key for the Mustangs this week as they look to build on some early preseason hype and put Puerto Rico in the rearview mirror.
The tournament will take place all day Monday and Tuesday, while the men will continue competing in the Puerto Rico Classic until Tuesday.