University of Illinois
Big Ten Championships
No. 22 Illinois Begins Postseason with Big Ten Championships
April 17, 2019 | Women's Golf
Singhsumalee, Nowlin, and Morallos return from last year's team that tied for the conference’s runner-up finish with No. 48 Maryland.
| Big Ten Championships | |
|---|---|
| Who | No. 15 Northwestern, No. 18 Michigan State, NO. 22 ILLINOIS, No. 33 Purdue, No. 48 Maryland, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio State, Penn State, Rutgers, and Wisconsin |
| When | Apr. 19-21, 2019 |
| Where | TPC River's Bend | Maineville, Ohio |
| Live Links | Scoring | Illinois Updates | Big Ten Updates |
| More Information | Media Guide | Day 1 Pairings | Tournament Central |
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The No. 22 Fighting Illini women's golf team will make the trip back to Ohio for the 2019 Big Ten Championships hosted at TPC River's Bend in Maineville, Ohio. The three-day, 54-hole tournament will be played Friday through Sunday, April 19-21 at the par-72, 6,220-6,369-yard layout.
"We are looking forward to the start of a fantastic post season at the Big Ten Championships," said head coach Renee Slone. The golf course is in great condition and will provide a good test for the entire field. The last two weeks have provided us with some growth opportunities and will have us ready for a variety of situations we may face."
Illinois is one of five Big Ten teams that found themselves in Golfweek's top-25 this week, coming in at No. 22. Joining the Orange and Blue are No. 15 Northwestern, No. 18 Michigan State, No. 33 Purdue, No. 48 Maryland. Also rounding out the field are Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Ohio State, Penn State, Rutgers, and Wisconsin.
Of the 12 teams, No. 15 Northwestern and Ohio State advanced to the 2018 NCAA Championships, while the No. 22 Illini, No. 18 Michigan State, No. 33 Purdue, and Wisconsin participated at NCAA Regionals.
The tournament format will be the same as last week's Lady Buckeye Invitational with a 'play six, count four' scoring format. The lineup for Illinois this weekend will be Bing Singhsumalee, Tristyn Nowlin, Ali Morallos, and freshmen trio, Kornkamol Sukaree, Crystal Wang, and Katie Hallinan.
Illinois opens the tournament on Friday off split tees beginning at 7:30 a.m. CT. The second round is also set for 7:30 a.m. CT, while the final 18 holes are slated for a 7 a.m. CT tee time on Sunday.
The Fighting Illini women's golf program looks for their seventh top-three finish, which includes two-runner finishes in 1976 and 2018. Individually, three Illini have earned medalist honors, with head coach Renee Slone (formerly Heiken) being the most recent at the 1993 Big Ten Championships.
Tournament Format
The top-four individuals from each team with the lowest scores for any 18-hole round constitute the scoring members of the six-member team for that given round. The team championship will be awarded to the squad with the lowest total combined score for all rounds.
The Tournament Venue
The Big Ten Championships will be played at TPC River's Bend (Par 72, 6,220-6,369 yards) in Maineville, Ohio for the third consecutive year. Named by Golf Digest among the Top 10 Best New Private Clubs in the U.S. after it opened in 2001, the Arnold Palmer-designed golf course has been recognized as one of Ohio's Best Courses by Golf Digest from 2005-11 and 2015-16.
TPC River's Bend has previously hosted the LPGA Symetra Tour's Prasco Charity Championship, Web.com Tour's Chiquita Classic, the PGA TOUR Champions Kroger Classic, and the Junior PGA Championship.
Complementing the golf course is an expansive, 12-acre practice facility; featuring multiple chipping and putting areas. The 32,000 square-foot Clubhouse features both casual and upscale dining rooms, banquet facilities, access to fully-appointed men's and women's locker rooms, and an award-winning Golf Shop. For your business needs, there is a conference room with audio-visual and conferencing capabilities as well as wireless internet.
Last Time Out – Closing out the Regular Season
Despite the rainy conditions, the No. 22 Fighting Illini women's golf team bounced back from a slow start to finish fourth at the 39th Lady Buckeye Invitational in Columbus Ohio. The Orange and Blue carded rounds of 298-294-303 at the tournament. Overall, Illinois finished second in par-4 scoring at 4-over par.
Illinois was led by lone senior Bing Singhsumalee, who recorded her fourth career top-three finish, placing third with 218 (+2). Also finishing in the top-15 on the player leaderboard was freshman Crystal Wang, who was in a five-way tie for 13th with 224 (+8).
Finishing on top was NCAA Championship participant, No. 9 Kent State with 16-over par. Reigning Big Ten Champions, No. 19 Michigan State, was close behind with 17-over par. No. 49 Maryland rounds out the top-three with 890 (+26). Following the Illini were Michigan and host Ohio State with 32-over par and 33-over par, respectively. Out of the top six teams, five represented the Big Ten conference.
B1G Boost at the 2018 Big Ten Championships
The Fighting Illini women's golf team matched then a program-best single round, carding a final round of 281 (-7) to tie for second place at the Big Ten Championships. The runner-up finish was the team's best finish at a conference tournament since 1976.
Grace Park, Chayanid Prapassarangkul and Bing Singhsumalee tied for eighth place overall with three-day totals of 214 (-2)
Tying for 34th was freshman Ali Morallos, who had a three-day total of 223 (+7), while Dana Gattone finished 54th overall with 229 (+13). After withdrawing from play on Friday, sophomore Tristyn Nowlin put together a strong weekend, posting 75 (+3) and 72 (E) in the final two rounds.
Michigan State won the championship at 5-under par, while Maryland tied the Illini for second at minus one. Northwestern and Ohio State tied for fourth, each with 1-over par.
Next Round – Postseason Regional Assignment
Up next, the Illini will await their postseason regional assignment. The NCAA Women's Golf selection show is slated for Wednesday, April 24 at 4:30 p.m. CT on the Golf Channel.
The road to the NCAA Championships will feature 18 teams and six individuals. The four regional sites in 2019 include Saugahatchee Country Club, in Opelika, Ala. (Auburn), Tumble Creek Golf Club in Cle Elum, Wash. (Washington), Jimmie Austin OU Golf Club in Norman, Okla. (Oklahoma), and Forest Akers West Golf Course in East Lansing, Mich. (Michigan State).
The six teams and three individuals with the lowest scores that are not on teams from each regional will advance to the 2019 NCAA Division I Women's Golf National Championships in Fayetteville, Ark. from May 17-22.
Follow the Illini
Stay tuned to FIGHTINGILLINI.com for all the latest information on Fighting Illini Women's Golf. Follow the Orange and Blue on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for complete coverage.
