CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Illinois women's golf team kicks off spring break with a trip to Johns Island, S.C., for the Briar's Creek Invitational, hosted by College of Charleston on March 14-15.
THE SETTING
The Briar's Creek Invitational will be held at The Golf Club at Briar's Creek, with the course set up for a par 72 and will play 6,116 yards. Precisely designed and skillfully maintained, the Rees Jones masterpiece embraces the rich, low country landscape and vegetation of Johns Island and the Kiawah River. Multiple tee boxes offer dramatic shots around, across and along unspoiled marsh and riverside vistas, creating a spirited, scenic challenge for golfers of every level.
TOURNAMENT FORMAT
There will be 18 teams competing in the 54-hole tournament with 36 holes of continuous play on Monday (March 14), followed by the final 18 on Tuesday (March 15). Monday will feature an 8 a.m. CT shotgun start, with Tuesday starting with a 7:45 a.m. CT shotgun start.
THE FIELD
Along with the Illini, the 18-team field includes host Charleston, Boston College, Campbell, Charleston Southern, Colorado, East Carolina, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, N.C. State, Old Dominion, Penn State, Tulane, UCF and Wisconsin.
FIGHTING ILLINI LINEUP
No. 1: Crystal Wang
No. 2: Kornkamol Sukaree
No. 3: Lexanne Halama
No. 4: Isabel Sy
No. 5: Siyan Chen
Individual: Alise Knudson
ILLINI AT THE BRIAR'S CREEK INVITATIONAL
This will be the seventh appearance for Illinois in the Briar's Creek Invitational, with the Illini registering three top-five finishes, including back-to-back third-place finishes in 2017 and 2018. During the 2017 season, the Illini turned in their fifth-lowest team round in program history with a seven-under 281 in the opening round.
The Illini participated in the 2021 edition of the tournament, finishing in 11th place with a 38-over 902 tournament total, with former standout Tristyn Nowlin and current senior Crystal Wang earning an eighth place finish with a four-over 220 to lead the Illini.
LIVE SCORING
Live scoring for the Briar's Creek Invitational will be available on Golfstat.com. A recap and results will be posted on FightingIllini.com following each day of play.
LAST TIME OUT
The Illinois women's golf team registered its lowest team 54-hole tournament score in program history with a 24-under par total of 840 en route to a runner up finish at the ICON Invitational on February 21-22. Just one day after equaling the then-lowest team round in program history, the Illini blew past its previous record with a 15-under 273 at the par 72, 6,247-yard Golf Club of Houston.
Senior Crystal Wang turned in one of the best performances in program history as she posted the lowest 54-hole tournament total with a 13-under par 203 to finish in a tie for third place. She birdied four of her first five holes on Tuesday and finished with eight on the day as she carded an eight-under 64 in her final round, which also marked the lowest single round score in program history. The senior led the field with 18 birdies in the tournament.
Also turning in a stellar performance was classmate Kornkamol Sukaree, who placed fifth with a career low tournament total of eight-under par 208 after registering a two-under 70 in her final round. Freshman Lexanne Halama earned her second-straight top 15 finish as she posted a career-best three-under 54-hole total of 213 with an even-par 72 on the final day of the tournament.
UP NEXT
The Illini continue the spring slate with the Clemson Invitational, held at the Reserve at Lake Keowee in Sunset, S.C., on March 25-27.
For more Fighting Illini women's golf news, stay tuned to FightingIllini.com and follow @IlliniWGolf on social media: Twitter | Instagram | Facebook.
