University of Georgia Athletics
Georgia Golfers Host Liz Murphey
March 25, 2010 | Women's Golf
ATHENS --- For the 38th consecutive year, many of the nation's premier women's golf team will descend on Athens for the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic at the University of Georgia Golf Course. The 54-hole event begins Friday at 9:00 a.m., with the second and third rounds also teeing off at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
The tournament field has expanded from its traditional size of 18 schools to 23 teams this season, with Georgia's 10-golfer roster allowing the Bulldogs to enter two competing squads.
Twelve of the top-21 teams in the latest Golfstat rankings are included in the Liz Murphey field. No. 2 Auburn is the top-ranked team, followed by No. 4 Duke, No. 6 Alabama, No. 9 Wake Forest, No. 11 Tennessee, No. 12 Florida, No. 13 Purdue, No. 13 Michigan State, No. 15 Virginia, No. 16 Georgia, No. 20 Denver and No. 21 Ohio State. Rounding out the competing teams are Arkansas, Furman, Georgia State, Kent State, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tulane and UCF.
Nine of 12 SEC schools will be in Athens, providing an interesting preview for the conference championships in three weeks.
"We have a really good field and it's always good to see how you stack up against such strong competition," head coach Kelley Hester said. "You'd like to think that you can beat some of the folks that are ranked ahead of us and give us some confidence heading into SECs. It's just a really good way to end your regular season, especially to be able to do so at home."
Hester will continue to use senior Carolina Andrade, sophomores Marta Silva Zamora and Milena Savich and freshmen Emilie Burger and Kendall Wright as the Bulldogs top unit. Seniors Melissa Brody and Leigh Crosby, sophomores Tess Fordham and Kiara Hayashida and freshman Abby Johnson will comprise Georgia's second quintet.
On Friday, the regular lineup will tee off from No. 1 from 9:00-9:40 a.m., while the second set of Bulldogs will start play at No. 10 from 10:50-11:30 a.m..
"It's always good to have competition within a team, which only helps everyone get better," Hester said. "We've certainly had a healthy does of that within our roster this season. It's going to be really fun to see everyone on our roster have a chance to compete in tournament conditions. It's sort of rare for a coach to have that opportunity to do so. We're going to have a lot of family members in town, and I'm pleased that all 10 of our golfers will have a chance to experience the Liz Murphey."
While Hester certainly hopes for a home course advantage, she believes the UGA Golf Course is a challenging track.
"I think it's the greens that make it such a neutral type of layout," Hester said. "Even though it's our home course, the quality of the greens and the hole locations make it extremely challenging. Tee-to-green, it's a good very, very good golf course, but it's the greens that put it in that even better category."
The tournament unofficially begins on Thursday evening with a picnic for the participating teams on the course. The evening includes some non-traditional competitions such as an egg toss and fishing tournament.
"It's one of the traditions that makes the Liz Murphey a special event with a different type of feel," Hester said. "If there's one thing everyone will say about Liz, it's that she loved to have fun.
"A lot of the golfers know each other from playing junior golf," Hester continued. "You build relationships when you play with someone because there's so much time between shots when you're walking and having a conversation. Don't be mistaken, though, when we have those competitions, our golfers will be as competitive as they will on the course over the weekend. We had a couple practicing their fishing skills during practice rounds this week."
Live scoring during the tournament will be available at www.golfstat.com.
The tournament field has expanded from its traditional size of 18 schools to 23 teams this season, with Georgia's 10-golfer roster allowing the Bulldogs to enter two competing squads.
Twelve of the top-21 teams in the latest Golfstat rankings are included in the Liz Murphey field. No. 2 Auburn is the top-ranked team, followed by No. 4 Duke, No. 6 Alabama, No. 9 Wake Forest, No. 11 Tennessee, No. 12 Florida, No. 13 Purdue, No. 13 Michigan State, No. 15 Virginia, No. 16 Georgia, No. 20 Denver and No. 21 Ohio State. Rounding out the competing teams are Arkansas, Furman, Georgia State, Kent State, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tulane and UCF.
Nine of 12 SEC schools will be in Athens, providing an interesting preview for the conference championships in three weeks.
"We have a really good field and it's always good to see how you stack up against such strong competition," head coach Kelley Hester said. "You'd like to think that you can beat some of the folks that are ranked ahead of us and give us some confidence heading into SECs. It's just a really good way to end your regular season, especially to be able to do so at home."
Hester will continue to use senior Carolina Andrade, sophomores Marta Silva Zamora and Milena Savich and freshmen Emilie Burger and Kendall Wright as the Bulldogs top unit. Seniors Melissa Brody and Leigh Crosby, sophomores Tess Fordham and Kiara Hayashida and freshman Abby Johnson will comprise Georgia's second quintet.
On Friday, the regular lineup will tee off from No. 1 from 9:00-9:40 a.m., while the second set of Bulldogs will start play at No. 10 from 10:50-11:30 a.m..
"It's always good to have competition within a team, which only helps everyone get better," Hester said. "We've certainly had a healthy does of that within our roster this season. It's going to be really fun to see everyone on our roster have a chance to compete in tournament conditions. It's sort of rare for a coach to have that opportunity to do so. We're going to have a lot of family members in town, and I'm pleased that all 10 of our golfers will have a chance to experience the Liz Murphey."
While Hester certainly hopes for a home course advantage, she believes the UGA Golf Course is a challenging track.
"I think it's the greens that make it such a neutral type of layout," Hester said. "Even though it's our home course, the quality of the greens and the hole locations make it extremely challenging. Tee-to-green, it's a good very, very good golf course, but it's the greens that put it in that even better category."
The tournament unofficially begins on Thursday evening with a picnic for the participating teams on the course. The evening includes some non-traditional competitions such as an egg toss and fishing tournament.
"It's one of the traditions that makes the Liz Murphey a special event with a different type of feel," Hester said. "If there's one thing everyone will say about Liz, it's that she loved to have fun.
"A lot of the golfers know each other from playing junior golf," Hester continued. "You build relationships when you play with someone because there's so much time between shots when you're walking and having a conversation. Don't be mistaken, though, when we have those competitions, our golfers will be as competitive as they will on the course over the weekend. We had a couple practicing their fishing skills during practice rounds this week."
Live scoring during the tournament will be available at www.golfstat.com.
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