JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. – Just days after opening the spring with a win at the Battle at Hilton Head, No. 12 Carson-Newman heads back to the Palmetto State for the inaugural Low Tide Intercollegiate, set for March 1-2 from the Dunes West Golf Club in Mt. Pleasant, S.C.
The win at Hilton Head was the fifth for the Eagles in head coach Suzanne Strudwick's tenure and the first since winning a third straight King Invitational in September 2018. Going from a tournament that they had played in for three consecutive seasons, this quick turnaround now takes the Eagles to a brand new event hosted by a Limestone squad that is No. 3 in both the Golfstat and Women's Golf Coaches Association polls.
"It's kind of what we're used to back in the fall when we start typically in Indianapolis and that event is probably one of our toughest competitive weeks," Strudwick said. "So I feel as though, you know, we're starting this spring the same. In fact, all of our events this spring are very difficult events. They've all got highly competitive teams playing."
This is the first year for the Intercollegiate, hosted by Limestone. It will serve as the first 54-hole event for Carson-Newman since the UINDY Fall Invitational back in September 2019.
Three of C-N's starters from the season-opener will make the trek back to South Carolina this week. The top three from last week's finish will head into this event at the first three spots of the lineup.
Third time's the charm for #CNWG in its third consecutive top-three finish at the Battle at Hilton Head, this time leaving as the event winner.
— Carson-Newman Athletics (@CNathletics) February 23, 2021
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Maeve Cummins (Waringstown, Northern Ireland) moves up to the top spot for the first time this season, a place she started in for five events last season, four of those came in succession before the global pandemic ended the season. The junior was 10-over at the Battle at Hilton Head, finishing in a tie for third with a 154. It was her best finish since landing at fifth at the Flagler Fall Slam in October 2019.
Starting at the second-seed is Hannah Holland (Sale Creek, Tenn.). She made her Orange and Blue debut with a 13th-place showing last week, going 14-over with a 158. She was the lowest-shooting Eagle in the final round at Hilton Head with a 75.
Ellie Haughton (Lincolnshire, England) will play at the No. 3 spot, moving down from her top-seeded spot a week ago. The sophomore tied for 20th at Hilton Head, matching her second-best career finish.
At the four-spot this week is freshman Alice Thomas (Mid Glamorgan, Wales), making her Carson-Newman debut. Behind her at the No. 5 is Matilda Frövenholt (Öjersjö, Sweden), her first start of the season. The senior netted her lowest-season average in the 2019-20 campaign at 77.6 through 15 rounds. She was in the starting lineup for five of C-N's seven events last year with her best showing coming at the Music City Invitational in October 2019 where she finished 1-over for a share of fourth. In her career with the Eagles, she is averaging a 78.9 scoring clip through three seasons, playing in 38 rounds of action.
The Eagles will be among a field of 15 teams that holds six nationally-ranked teams. C-N made its debut in the Golfstat rankings on February 23 in grand fashion, obtaining its highest ranking in team history after winning at Hilton Head. As of February 19, the group was receiving votes in the Women's Golf Coaches Association poll. Joining C-N and Limestone as ranked teams are No. 14/21 Wingate, No. 17 Lenoir-Rhyne, No. 10/20 Anderson and No. 21/15 North Georgia.
This event takes C-N to the Dunes West Golf Club that houses an Arthur Hills designed course that sits along Wagner Creek and the Wando River, just outside of Charleston.
The 54-hole event opens on Monday morning with 36 holes followed by a final round of 18 on Tuesday. Both days will kick off with shotgun starts. Semi-live scoring will be provided through Golfstat throughout the duration of the event.
