MEDINAH, Ill. – No. 24 Illinois Women's golf team will travel north of the Windy City to host the inaugural Illini Women's Invitational at Medinah. A two-day, 54-hole event, the 2018 Illini Women's Invitational at Medinah runs from Monday through Tuesday on the 6,159-yard, Par 72 No. 2 Course at Medinah Country Club in Medinah, Ill.
"We are very excited for this amazing opportunity," said head coach Renee Slone. "Our program is grateful to the Medinah Country Club and their membership and staff to be able to provide this experience to student-athletes."
The first round will begin on Monday with a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. CT with continuous play into the second round. The final round of play will be played on Tuesday with a 9 a.m. CT shotgun start.
The No. 24 Illini will host Augusta, No. 36 East Carolina, Indiana, Kansas State, Kennesaw State, No. 14 Kent State, No. 20 Miami (FL), Northern Illinois, No. 32 Purdue, No. 19 San Jose State, No. 26 SMU, No. 49 Texas Tech, No. 35 Virginia Tech, and Wisconsin. The 15-team field features nine teams that are ranked in Golfweek's top 50 rankings. The Fighting Illini will be one of four Big Ten teams in the field that includes Indiana, No. 32 Purdue, and Wisconsin.
"We have been focusing on course strategy, course management, and understanding their strengths and keys to play on Medinah's golf course well," said Slone. "These areas will be key to setting each player up for success."
The orange and blue line-up features all five players who competed at the Coeur D'Alene Collegiate Resort last week – senior Bing Singhsumalee, junior Tristyn Nowlin, sophomore Ali Morallos, and freshmen Kornkamol Sukaree and Crystal Wang.
Seven of the eight Illini will compete next week with freshman duo Katie Hallinan and Lauren Nay playing as individuals, marking their first collegiate tournament appearance.
"We want Katie (Hallinan) and Lauren (Nay) to take in the experience and know this will help them moving forward," noted Slone.
Illinois will be paired with Kent State and Miami (FL) in tomorrow's rounds with their tee time scheduled for 8:30 a.m. The Illini lineup will tee up off of holes No. 1-3 as a part of a shotgun start.
Fighting Illini fans are encouraged to come out to Medinah Country Club for the event. Parking and admission to the tournament is free to the public. Media should email Marty DeAngelo at mdeangelo@medinahcc.org to arrange arrival prior to the tournament.
"We are very appreciative that Medinah Country Club has extended this invitation to us," said Slone. "Our program is looking forward to a great event and hopefully many more in the future."
Last Time Out
The Orange and Blue earned their first tournament win at the Coeur D'Alene Collegiate Resort in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho. The three-day team total of 852 (E) marked the eighth lowest 54-hole tournament team score in program history.
The Illini also posted the third lowest single-round score with a 6-under-par in the second round. The 52 birdies posted was the most amongst the field.
Individually, three out of the five Illini finished in the top 10. Freshman Wang tied for second (212/-1), recording her first top three-finish in her collegiate career. Lone senior Singhsumalee tied for fifth, recording 214 (+1). Sophomore Morallos recorded her third career top-10 finish, tying for eighth with a 215 (+2).
Just outside the top-10 were junior Nowlin and freshman Sukaree, who both tied for 13th with 217 (+4). Nowlin posted the most birdies in the field with 13, while Sukaree earned an under-par at 69 (-2) in the second round.
The Venue
Medinah Country Club is one of the most prominent private country clubs in the country located just 25 miles west of the city, in the Chicago suburbs. Founded in the 1920s by a group of Shriners, Medinah Country Club boasts three world class golf courses, all originally designed by famed golf course architect Tom Bendelow.
The famous course No. 3 has hosted numerous major championships and prestigious international golf events. Past events include the Ryder Cup (2012), three U.S. Opens (1949, 1975, and 1990), two PGA Championships (1999, 2006), and three Western Opens (1946, 1962 and 1966).
Legendary players who have won at Medinah include "Lighthorse" Harry Cooper, Gene Sarazen, Byron Nelson, Billy Casper, Gary Player, Hale Irwin and Tiger Woods.
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