University of Illinois
Westbrook Invitational
No. 18 Illinois Treks to the Desert for Westbrook Invitational
February 22, 2019 | Women's Golf
The team is set for a two-day tournament at Westbrook Village Golf Club in Peoria, Ariz.
| Westbrook Invitational | |
|---|---|
| When | February 24-25, 2019 |
| Where | Westbrook Village Golf Club | Peoria, Ariz. |
| Live Links | Scoring | Updates |
| More Information | Media Guide | Pairings |
PEORIA, Ariz. – The No. 18 Illini travel to the desert for the Westbrook Invitational at Westbrook Village Golf Club's Vistas Course in Peoria, Ariz. from Feb. 24-25. The classic par-72 course registers 6,252 yards.
"We look forward to returning to Westbrook and spending time with the large contingent of Illini supporters in the Phoenix area," said head coach Renee Slone. "Several Champaign couples and Illinois grads host a dinner to kick off the tournament week. We are so appreciative of their interest in Illinois Women's Golf and support of these talented young women."
The Westbrook Invitational has been hosted by Wisconsin for eight consecutive years with the Fighting Illini participating each season. Illinois won the tournament in 2012.
The scoring fivesome for the Illini will consist of senior Bing Singhsumalee, sophomore Ali Morallos, and freshmen trio – Katie Hallinan, Kornkamol Sukaree, and Crystal Wang. Freshman Lauren Nay will also be participating as an individual.
Sitting at No. 18 in the country, Illinois will face competition from 15 other schools, including five teams ranked in Golfweek's top 50 rankings. The participating teams alongside the Illini and host Wisconsin are No. 24 Oklahoma, No. 27 Oregon State, No. 35 Tennessee, No. 38 UC Davis, No. 47 Mississippi State, Denver, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Notre Dame, Ohio State, and Washington State.
With almost half of the field from the Big Ten, the Fighting Illini will be one of seven teams from the conference, including Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Nebraska, Ohio State, and Wisconsin.
Ohio State and Oklahoma both advanced to the 2018 NCAA National Championships, while the Illini alongside six teams (No. 27 Oregon State, No. 35 Tennessee, Denver, Notre Dame, Missouri, Wisconsin) competed in the 2018 NCAA Regionals. Of the 15 teams, the Orange and Blue saw action vs. almost half of the field (6) during this season, including three times against host Wisconsin.
"The team is excited to return to competition following the tournament in Florida and two weeks of practice and preparation," noted Slone. "We gathered some invaluable insight and have been more diligent about our processes. Our team has the opportunity to put that into action."
The first round of the 54-hole tournament will begin on Sunday with a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. MT/9:30 a.m. CT with continuous play into the second round. The final round of play with be played on Monday with a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. MT/9:30 a.m. CT. The awards presentation will immediately follow the completion of the final round.
The Course – The Vistas
A fusion of desert landscape and traditional golf design located between 83rd Ave. and 91st Ave. on Union Hills the Vistas was purchased by the members from the original developers of the community in 1994.
Designed by the renowned Ken Cavanaugh, the course is open to players of all skill levels to improve your game and gain some confidence. The classic par-72 has everything you could ever want in a golf course from desert transition areas, guarded greens, water shots to its risk reward drivable par 4.
"Advancing" Beyond Drives, Chips and Putts
Swinging under the radar, the Illinois women's golf team is looking to make their mark for the 2019 spring season. On the heels of their strongest performance in years—a runner-up finish at the 2018 Big Ten Championship—head coach Renee Slone's Illini have even loftier aspirations this season.
According to Slone, now in her 13th season as UI's mentor, Illinois's process toward success and continuity has been building for a while now.
"Incrementally, we've been getting better year after year," Slone said. "And we'll attempt to continue that journey this season."
Illinois' annual "process" begins in early September when team members leave campus—without their clubs—for what they refer to as a "team advance". The student-athletes participate in team-building exercises so that they get an opportunity to know each other beyond the golf.
"Typically, it would be called a retreat, but we call it an advance because we're planning to move forward," Slone said.
Slone admits that her personal role as the head coach is certainly important, but stresses that, day-in and day-out, the real responsibility for leadership duty falls upon the returners – lone senior Bing Singhsumalee, junior Tristyn Nowlin, and sophomore Ali Morallos.
Singhsumalee is a 2018 first-team All-Big Ten honoree that holds the UI's program record for the best single round score with 66 (-6). Most recently, Singhsumalee had back-to-back runner-up finishes last fall at the Cardinal Cup and Trinity Forest Invitational.
Nowlin earned second-team All-Big Ten honors last season. This past October, she captured her first collegiate career title at Louisville's Cardinal Classic by posting a 54-hole tournament record of 210, 6-under par.
Morallos posted the UI program's ninth-best single-season stroke average (74.57) as a rookie.
The quintet of Illini freshmen includes Katie Hallinan, Sarah Hauenstein, Lauren Nay, Kornkamol "Stang" Sukaree, and Crystal Wang.
Academically, their first semester was outstanding, contributing to a record-setting 3.79 team grade-point average this past Fall.
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