VIDEO: Jessica Shepley Interview
JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – The Carson-Newman women's golf team returns to the course on Monday in Dahlonega, Georgia, for the 10th Annual LeeAnn Noble Memorial.
Head coach Jessica Shepley came away happy after a solid improvement on day two of the South Regional Preview a couple of weeks back, and she believes her team will take some of those positives into this event.
"We have some young players, and it was a tough course," Shepley said. "After the first 36 holes, they got their legs under them, and we saw some nice scores… I'm looking for constant, daily improvement, and I think I saw that."
One of the stellar performances came from Ida Petersen, shooting a 70 on the final day of the South Regional Preview, improving on what has been a focal point for Shepley and her team.
"It was understanding that we don't have to do anything heroic," Shepley said. "If we get in trouble off the tee, the best thing to do is to get it back in play and go from there… Ida did a great job, she had a wonderful round and had a great head on her shoulders… I think in these past few weeks, we've seen those big numbers decreasing."
After two weeks off, Shepley has emphasized the details to prepare for the LeeAnn Noble Memorial.
"We have been doing a ton of short-game work," Shepley said. "Primarily just getting good inside six feet, and I think that's what you see many of the best teams doing… Their inside six-feet game is very solid, so I've been trying to talk to them about that and have them understand that we don't have to make everything, but some things we have to get much better at."
Going into the LeeAnn Noble Memorial, Shepley has seen a considerable change in her team's mentality.
"I think we've had a little bit of confidence," Shepley said. "The biggest thing at this level is understanding that they can do it and that they're not that far off."
Going into a large and competitive field, Shepley is excited about the level of competition that the Eagles will face off against on Monday and Tuesday and the challenges the course poses.
"It's a very strong field," Shepley said. "It'll be good for the girls to see some teams they haven't seen this year… It's a good golf course, and it's very important that we're straight off the tee and we're hitting the correct part of the green… just playing smart."
The Eagles will take the course at the Achasta Golf Club on Monday at 9:00 AM.
