CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Illinois Women's Golf squad is headed to Greenville, South Carolina, for the Lady Paladin Invitational, hosted by Furman. The tournament will take place on the Par 72, 6,313-yard Furman University Golf Course, on Sept. 23-25.
"Good decision-making is always important on every golf course we play," head coach Renee Slone said. "On this golf course in particular, it's imperative to really play the course backwards as far as determining where the hole location is, determining what's the best angle to come in to that hole location and how to set it up off the tee. We need to set ourselves up with good opportunities to score."
The Illini will make their first appearance in the Lady Paladin Invitational, which has been played every year since 1972, except in 1983 when it was snowed out, 1991 when there were two tournaments, and 2009 when the course underwent renovations.
Tournament play will consist of 18 holes each day, with tee times starting at 8 a.m. CT on Friday, Sept. 23. The second round on Saturday is also set to begin at 8 a.m. CT, and the final round is slated for a 7 a.m. CT start on Sunday.
Making the trip for the Orange and Blue will be senior Stephanie Miller, juniors Chayanid Prapassarangkul and Grace Park, sophomore Bing Singhsumalee and freshman Tristyn Nowlin.
"We played some competitive rounds over the weekend, had qualifying just so everyone was in that competitive environment again," Slone said. "We've been focusing on a couple of different areas to help us in preparation for this particular golf course so we are ready to roll."
The tournament field consists of twenty squads, with No. 20 Furman as host. Illinois will face Maryland, Middle Tennessee State, Ole Miss, Tulsa and Virginia Tech for the second time this year after competing against them at the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship. Missouri, the 2015 Lady Paladin Invitational Champion, will be joined by Augusta, Daytona State, East Tennessee State, Georgetown, Georgia State, Kennesaw State, Mercer, Minnesota, New Mexico, Texas, UNC Wilmington and Wofford to round out the field.
 "We will continue to focus on the things that enabled us to be successful in Tennessee, stick to our process, and just enjoy the opportunities we've been given," Slone said. "We will enjoy the opportunities to travel, compete and represent the university. We will continue keep things as simple as we can while we focus on ourselves and our process, and continue with the hard work and effort. At the end of the day, we just keep in mind that it is a game and to enjoy the entire process and everything that comes with it, remembering that every opportunity is a chance to learn and grow and continue to get better."
Results will be posted on FIGHTINGILLINI.com after each round of the tournament, and live scoring will be available on BirdieFire. Fans can also follow the team on Twitter (@IlliniWGolf).
