University of Illinois
UCF Challenge
No. 14 Illini Open Spring Campaign at UCF Challenge
February 1, 2019 | Women's Golf
Illinois is set for a three-day tournament at Eagle Creek Golf Club in Orlando, Fla.
| UCF Challenge | |
|---|---|
| When | February 3-5, 2019 |
| Where | Eagle Creek Golf Club | Orlando, Fla. |
| Live Links | Scoring | Updates |
| More Information | Media Guide | Pairings |
ORLANDO, Fla. – The No. 14 Illini open the spring campaign on Sunday at the UCF Challenge at the Eagle Creek Golf Club in Orlando, Fla. The par 72 course registers 6,349 yards.
"This is the championship part of the season, but every tournament counts the same," said head coach Renee Slone. "The Spring season is an extension of building upon the successes we had in the fall and continuing to strengthen our overall game, so we are where we want to be in April and May from a mental and physical standpoint."
Alongside Illinois, the tournament field is comprised of 15 other schools, including nine that finished the 2018 fall season in the top 50 of Golfweek rankings. The participating teams include No. 3 Vanderbilt, No. 9 Kent State, No. 25 Purdue, No. 27 Miami, No. 35 Michigan State, No. 40 Penn State, No. 42 Kennesaw State, No. 45 Iowa State, No. 50 Old Dominion, College of Charleston, East Carolina, SMU, Tulane, host UCF, and Wisconsin.
Kent State advanced to the 2018 NCAA National Championships and the Illini alongside 10 teams (College of Charleston, East Carolina, Iowa State, Kennesaw State, Miami, Michigan State, Old Dominion, Purdue, Vanderbilt, Wisconsin) competed in the 2018 NCAA Regionals. Of the 15 teams, the Orange and Blue saw action against over half the field (8) during the 2018 fall season.
Making the trip for the Orange and Blue will be senior Bing Singhsumalee, sophomore Ali Morallos, and freshmen Crystal Wang, Kornkamol Sukaree, Katie Hallinan, and Lauren Nay. Singhsumalee, Morallos, Wang, Sukaree, and Hallinan will represent the starting five for the Illini, while Nay will be competing as an individual. This marks the first time that Hallinan has been in the team lineup for the Illini.
"This is a great opportunity for Katie (Hallinan) to be in the team lineup," noted Slone. "Looking forward to her being in that position and putting together some of the things we have been working on from the mental and physical side into action."
The tournament is 54-holes and will consist of 18-hole rounds for each of the three days from Feb. 3-5 at 7:45 a.m. CT/8:45 a.m. ET. The awards ceremony will immediately follow the completion of the final round.
In the Rankings
After a successful fall campaign that included three team wins, the Illini concluded the fall season in November ranked No. 14 by Golfweek. This marks a 16-spot jump from the preseason in which Illinois ranked No. 30. Individually, three players donning the Orange and Blue are ranked in the top 100 by Golfweek – freshman Crystal Wang at No. 68, Big Ten Golfer of the Week and senior Bing Singhsumalee at No. 73, and freshman Kornkamol Sukaree at No. 93.
Conference Honors
The Fighting Illini had back-to-back Big Ten Golfer of the Week honors last fall with junior Tristyn Nowlin on Oct. 24 and senior Bing Singhsumalee on Oct. 31. The last time that the Orange and Blue earned consecutive honors was April 2005 when Illinois alumni Megan Godfrey and Kristine Cook received this weekly honor on April 7, 2005 and April 14, 2005 respectively. The honor marked the first for both Nowlin and Singhsumalee.
Nowlin won the award for her winning performance at the Cardinal Cup in October. She carded a 6-under par 210 for a career-best finish and captured the individual tournament title for her first career victory. Nowlin's total ties her for the third lowest 54-hole tournament total in program history. Singhsumalee earned the honor for her runner-up finish, posting a 215 (-1) at the Illini's last tournament of the fall season, the Trinity Forest Invitational. Finishing second, this marked the first time in Singhsumalee's career that she had back-to-back top three finishes individually.
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