University of Illinois
Cardinal Cup
No. 20 Illinois Women’s Golf Heads to Cardinal Cup
October 19, 2018 | Women's Golf
| Cardinal Cup | |
|---|---|
| When | October 20-21 |
| Where | University of Louisville Golf Club | Simpsonville, Ky. |
| Live Links | Scoring | Updates |
| More Information | Media Guide | Coaches Packet | Pairings |
SIMPSONVILLE, Ky. – After a short break, the No. 20 Illinois women's golf team will head south this weekend to play in the 15th annual Cardinal Cup, hosted by No. 37 Louisville. The two-day event is slated for Oct. 20-21 and will be played at the University of Louisville Golf Club (par 72, 6,303 yards) in Simpsonville, Ky.
"We are continuing to focus on putting so we take advantage of a few more birdie opportunities," said head coach Renee Slone. "Course management on any golf course is important, but there are specifically a couple of holes on this golf course we need to be very aware of our positioning and really set ourselves up well to be successful."
Joining No. 20 Illini and the host team are Ball State, Chattanooga, East Carolina, East Tennessee State, Maryland, Murray State, No. 39 Ole Miss, Richmond, Toledo, UAB, Western Kentucky, and Wisconsin.
The 14-team field features two teams that advanced to the 2018 National Championships, host Louisville and Ole Miss. Alongside the Illini, four teams (East Carolina, Wisconsin, Murray State, Richmond) in the field competed in the 2018 regionals. Currently three teams are ranked in Golfweek's top 50 rankings.
Illinois will once again play most of its roster with five in the team lineup and two playing as individuals. Senior Bing Singhsumalee, junior Tristyn Nowlin, sophomore Ali Morallos, and freshmen Kornkamol Sukaree and Crystal Wang will be part of our starting fivesome – all have been in the team lineup this fall season. As individuals, freshman duo Katie Hallinan and Lauren Nay will represent the orange and blue.
"It has been very exciting seeing the freshmen progressing," noted Slone. "They have been playing some really solid golf and continuing to develop along the way, so I really think we are going to continue to see even greater things from them. It definitely raises the bar for everyone, which is what you want to see as a team."
A year ago, Illinois was runner-up at the annual Cardinal Cup with a score of 21-over par 885 (288-299-298). The orange and blue were paced by Kentucky native Nowlin, who finished third individually with a 220 (+4).
The first round will begin on Saturday with a shotgun start at 8:15 a.m. CT/9:15 a.m. ET with continuous play into the second round. The final round of play will be on Sunday with a shotgun start at 8:15 a.m. CT/9:15 a.m. ET. The awards presentation will immediately follow the completion of the final round.
"We are just past the midpoint of our fall season and want to make sure everyone has everything in order to prepare for the last two tournaments to close out the fall season," said Slone.
Last Time Out
In a deep field, the Illini finished third-overall, while breaking two school records at the hosted Illini Women's Invitational at Medinah from Oct. 8-9 in Medinah, Ill. At the inaugural event, the Illini recorded the lowest 54-hole tournament team score in program history with an 845 (-19), while also hitting the 8-under par score twice, marking the lowest single-round score in program history.
Once again leading the charge for the Illini were freshmen Wang and Sukaree. Wang tied for fourth-overall and was the top-ranked freshman, recording a career-best 208 (-8), ranking her second among the lowest 54-hole tournament totals in program history. Meanwhile, Sukaree broke into the top 10 for the first time in her collegiate career, tying for seventh with 210 (-6) and ranked third among the lowest 54-hole tournament totals in program history.
A steady force and leader for the orange and blue, senior Singhsumalee tied for 14th with a season-best 213 (-3). Junior Nowlin bounced back after the first two rounds, moving 27 spots in the individual rankings and posting a 217 (+1). Rounding out the team lineup was sophomore Morallos, tying for 57th with a 223 (+7).
As individuals, freshman duo Hallinan and Nay made their collegiate debuts at Medinah with Hallinan tied for 74th with a 226 (+10) and Nay finishing 78th with a 229 (+13).
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