University of Georgia Athletics
Bulldogs Begin Post-Season at SEC Championships
April 13, 2005 | Women's Golf
April 13, 2005
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Bulldogs open post-season at SECs
With two team and three individual titles during the 2004-05 regular season in tow, the Georgia Bulldogs travel to Tunica, Miss., to begin the post-season this weekend at the SEC Championships.
"The whole purpose of the regular season is to hopefully prepare to be at your best during post-season play," head coach Todd McCorkle said. "We've had a great week and a half of practice. The SECs are one of the goals we set for ourselves at the start of the year. I think we're in position to make a good showing."
Kelly Froelich won medalist honors at both the Dick McGuire Invitational last September and the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic this March, leading Georgia to team victories in each event as well. Jackie Beers won the individual crown at the Mason Rudolph Championship in October.
"Winning three individual titles this year shows what we're capable of," McCorkle said. "I think we're going to need those type of performances to be successful in the post-season. All of our golfers are capable. Whitney Wade, in particular, is playing the best golf she's played all season, and we're looking for big things from her."
The Tunica National Golf Course which will host this weekend's SEC should provide for an interesting challenge for all 12 squads given that no team has any considerable experience on the course, which opened just over a year ago.
"I'm sure it's an extremely challenging golf course," McCorkle said. "Luckily, we've been able to prepare for some of the conditions with our practice facilities in Athens."
The Bulldogs' practice facility includes Bermuda greens like those in Tunica.
Beers returns to Magnolia State
Georgia's Jackie Beers was a standout on the Mercy Cross High School boys' golf teams in Biloxi for two years.
Beers attended Mercy Cross as a freshman and sophomore while her father, Dennis, who is a colonel and a deputy contractor in the Air Force, was stationed there.
As a sophomore, Beers won the Class A medalist honors and led the Crusaders to the state team title. She also finished as individual runner-up as a freshman.
Beers then finished her high school career at Monacan High School in Richmond, Va., where she tied for first place at the boys' Class AAA State Tournament as a senior but lost in a play-off.
All told, Beers, who now calls Warner Robins, Ga., her "hometown," has lived in seven states - Alabama, California, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri, Texas and Virginia.
UGA's SEC Championship history
The Bulldogs have captured a league-leading 16 SEC Women's Golf Championships all-time. Georgia has won 10 team titles and six individual crowns.
Florida ranks second with 15 championships, seven team and eight individual.
SEC provides stiff competition
Half of the teams in the SEC are ranked among the nation's top-25 in an averages of the latest Golfweek/Sagarin Performance Index and Golfstat rankings as outlined below. Georgia enters the SECs as the league's highest-ranked team based on averages of the two.
SEC Teams In The Top 25
School - Golfweek - Golfstat - Avg.
Georgia - No. 4 - No. 2 - 3.0
Auburn - No. 3 - No. 7 - 5.0
Tennessee - No. 9 - No. 8 - 8.5
LSU - No. 12 - No. 10 - 11.0
Florida - No. 11 - No. 14 - 12.5
Arkansas - No. 21 - No. 23 - 22.0
Georgia solid against SEC foes
The Bulldogs have compiled an impressive 28-6 record in head-to-head competition against SEC teams this season.
UGA is: 1-0 vs. Alabama; 3-0 vs. Arkansas; 3-3 vs. Auburn; 3-2 vs. Florida; 1-0 vs. Kentucky; 2-0 vs. LSU; 2-0 vs. Ole Miss; 2-0 vs. Mississippi State; 5-0 vs. South Carolina; 2-1 vs. Tennessee; and 4-0 vs. Vanderbilt.
Bulldogs getting bigger boosts
A year ago, Georgia featured perhaps the deepest lineup in the nation as all six Bulldogs posted stroke averages of 75.81 or lower. What that squad lacked, however, was someone going really low. Georgia posted 37 par-or-better individual rounds but just four of those were in the 60s.
This season, the Dogs continue to be incredibly balanced - four of five golfers in this weekend's lineup have stroke averages of 75.50 or better - but also have received the boost of lower red numbers. Georgia already has seven loops in the 60s in 10 fewer team rounds played than last season's total.
Stroke average record in jeopardy
For the second time in as many seasons - and the third time in Todd McCorkle's five years in Athens - the Bulldogs are on pace to break UGA's team stroke average record.
Georgia posted a best-ever average of 297.76 during 2003-04. This season, the Bulldogs are at 297.04 through 24 rounds.
That's significantly closer to last year's mark than where Georgia began the 2005 calendar portion of the current campaign.
Last fall, the Bulldogs posted a team average of 291.17 with all 12 rounds lower than 300. This spring, Georgia has an average of 302.92 while breaking 300 in only four of 12 loops.
Froelich, Beers find winner's circle
Kelly Froelich has won two individual titles this season, and Jackie Beers also has medalist honors to her credit.
Froelich won both the Dick McGuire Invitational last fall and the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic this spring, while Beers captured top honors at the Mason Rudolph Championships in the fall.
At the season-opening Dick McGuire, Froelich played the first nine holes of the opening round at 6-under. Then, with the individual title virtually wrapped up, she birdied No. 17 and No. 18 in the final round to help clinch the team title as well.
Froelich's second victory came on UGA's home course in Athens at the 33rd annual Liz Murphey. She entered the final round among a group of nine golfers within two strokes of the lead and carded a 1-under 71 on Sunday to secure the crown.
Beers posted career-best scores in both the second and third rounds at the Mason Rudolph to collect her first collegiate win. Following an opening 75, Beers posted a 69 on Saturday and a 68 on Sunday. In the final round she birdied three of the final five holes en route to a three-stroke win.
Froelich three-time SEC honoree
Kelly Froelich has thrice been named the SEC Golfer of the Week this season, becoming just the second player tabbed as such three times in a season since the league began the honor in 2000.Froelich was selected on Sept. 23 and March 29 following wins at the Dick McGuire Invitational and the Liz Murphey Collegiate, respectively.In addition, she was honored on Oct. 26 after finishing as runner-up at the Lady Paladin Invitational.
Last season, Vanderbilt's May Wood was the first golfer to be a three-time honoree.
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