Schedule | Downloadable Schedule
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The Fighting Illini Women's Golf program announced its schedule for the upcoming 2016-17 season. Head coach Renee Slone's squad will play in some familiar venues and mix in some new tournaments, and the team will have a different fall set up from previous years.
"This is the first time we will play four events in the fall since my first year (2006-07)," Slone said. "It just worked out that four events in the fall is the best setup for us this year."
Illinois will start off its season in Knoxville, Tennessee, at the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate. It will be the second-consecutive appearance for the Illini in the tournament, hosted by Tennessee, and is slated for September 12-13. Following the trip to Knoxville, Illinois will play in the Lady Paladin Invitational for the first time. The event is hosted by Furman in Greenville, South Carolina, from September 23-25.
"Certain tournaments we return to, but we also try to add new events," Slone said. "It gives the team a chance to see different areas of the country, play on different grass, play against different competition, and just experience more."
October's lineup features a trip to an NCAA Regional site, as well as the Cardinal Cup, hosted by Louisville in Simpsonville, Kentucky. The Illini will play in the Greenville Regional Preview in Greenville, North Carolina on October 17-18, giving them a look at a potential future NCAA Regional. The Cardinal Cup is scheduled for October 23-25, and will wrap up the fall for Illinois.
"Playing in Greenville could be good preparation for us, as an NCAA regional," Slone said. "The Cardinal Cup is a great opportunity for us to finish strong in the fall. Last year we had a stretch where we played really well in that tournament."
The Illini will have a four-month gap between the end of fall and the beginning of the spring slate, kicking things off with a trip to Peoria, Arizona, for the Westbrook Spring Invitational on February 26-27. It will be the sixth year in a row the Illini have competed in the event.
"We have lots of good memories from Arizona," Slone said. "We are able to have a bigger fan base. We stay with host families, visit some University of Illinois alumni, and they come out to support us and watch us play. The last two years we've had a meet and greet at the golf course, organized by the alumni group there."
Following the trip to Arizona, Illinois will head back out West in March to the Meadow Club Women's Invitational. It will be the team's first appearance in the tournament, which will take place in Fairfax, California from March 6-7. Two weeks later, the Illini will travel east to John's Island, South Carolina for the Briar's Creek Invitational starting March 20. The squad will wrap up March at the Henssler Financial Intercollegiate in Kennesaw, Georgia on March 27-28. Illinois will make its second-consecutive appearance in the Kennesaw State-hosted tournament.
The Illini will close out their regular season at the Lady Buckeye Invitational. The event is hosted by Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio from April 15-17.
"We've been going to the Lady Buckeye Invitational for years and years and years," Slone said. "We're looking forward to getting back there."
The Big Ten Championships will start postseason play on April 21-23, and will be hosted by TPC River's Bend in Maineville, Ohio. NCAA Regionals are scheduled for May 8-10, and the NCAA Championships will take place in Illinois, at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove from May 19-24.
"With the NCAA Championships here in Illinois, everyone is excited," Slone said. "It could lead to a lot of support at Rich Harvest Farms."
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