VIDEO: Suzanne Strudwick Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Coming off the heels of a second consecutive win at the King Invitational, the women's golf team now prepares to head to Salisbury, N.C. to compete in the Patsy Rendleman Invitational at the Country Club of Salisbury.
This is the first time that the team has competed in the event since 2012, finishing 9th that year.
The Eagles won the King Invitational by 21 shots in a field of eight teams. Eight team members traveled to the event after Anna Davenport was able to make it as a late entry for the team. They finished at +26, shooting 616 through two rounds.
Elizabeth England led the team and the entire field through both days of competition, ending the event with a 4-over 146.
"It was good to get the first (tournament) under our belt and win so decisively," Strudwick said of her team's performance. "We had a really good practice session on Friday of last week where we talked about just being more intentional and having a system for sinking short puts and that system is an individual thing."
Reagan Kinnie and Taylor Hayes both finished in the top-10 at sixth and seventh, respectively. Hayes was one shot off from Kinnie's 154 outing.
Three newcomers made their Eagle debuts at King. Freshman Jayla Sims landed at 12th with a 159 finish as an individual. Fellow freshman Matilda Frovenholt and junior Davenport landed at a tie for 15th with total scores of 161 and at the end of Tuesday.
Rachel Watts and Katie Medley rounded out the scoring for the Eagles at 20th and 30th, shooting +22 and +28, respectively.
Six competitors will represent Carson-Newman at the invitational. Making their second starts of the season for the team are Elizabeth England, Reagan Kinnie and Taylor Hayes. They lead the Eagles at the King Invitational at the end of September. Also competing for the team are Rachel Watts and freshman Jayla Sims, who made her C-N debut as an individual at King.
Sophomore Allie Fletcher will travel with the team to compete as an individual, making her season debut.
"We're having more players, more depth in the team shooting in the 70s," Strudwick mentioned. "So, the girls that are qualifying and going on and making the travel team. As I said to them, anybody on the team now can make the travel team. So we are guaranteed the players that are playing at their absolute best for each tournament."
The event in Salisbury, N.C. hosted by Catawba College will include a field of 17 teams representing schools from the southeast region. Teams joining C-N from the South Atlantic Conference include Limestone, Coker, Anderson, Tusculum, Lenoir Rhyne, Queens (N.C.) and Catawba. Other teams competing are North Greenville, Erskine, King, Barton, Chowan, Young Harris, North Georgia, Pfeiffer and Belmont Abbey.
Tusculum was the top team last season at Salisbury, finishing five shots ahead of Wingate with a 613 total. This year's slate of teams will be competing on a Donald Ross course, one that is unfamiliar to the Eagles team. It spans 6,558 yards, holding a par 71.
"There's going to be a little anxiety, maybe, of not playing this type of course in a long time," Strudwick said. It's where the guys won conference so we've had a little bit of insight. It's going to be an old, established golf course.
"We should, on paper, do very well. That's what I'm looking for. Whether we do or not, I just want to see some confidence transferred over and some grinding out of scores."
The Patsy Rendleman Invitational will tee-off Monday morning at the Country Club of Salisbury. The two-day tournament will involve one 18-hole round each day.
