By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – A wait of nearly five months is finall over for the Tennessee Tech women's golf team as the Golden Eagles head southeast for the three-day, GolfWeek Program Challenge in Myrtle Beach, S.C. beginning Sunday morning to officially kick off the 2016-17 slate.
GOLFWEEK PROGRAM CHALLENGE: 54 holes (18 Sunday, 18 Monday, 18 Tuesday), located at the par-71, 6,042-yard Caledonia Golf & Fish Club. Teams will start teeing off each day at 7:30 a.m. CT. The GolfWeek Program Challenge Tournament will hand out titles to the top men's and women's team, along with an overall team title to one collegiate program, which is determined by the program's men's and women's combined total score.
GOLDEN EAGLE LINEUP: Competing for the Golden Eagles are senior Whitney Robertson, sophomore Hollee Sadler, junior Allyson Dunn, senior Lydia Triplett and redshirt freshman Shelby Johnson.
THE COMPETITION: The 16-team field consists of Boston College, Campbell, Elon, Gardner-Webb, Houston Baptist, Jacksonville, Jacksonville State, James Madison, Mercer, Morehead State, Radford, Stetson, Tennessee Tech, Valparaiso, Western Carolina and Xavier.
THOUGHTS FROM COACH BROWN: "Caledonia is truly a beautiful golf course that plays well to those looking to score. We'll have a good amount of experience going to Myrtle Beach this year, with four of our five having played this event last year. I know the women are ready to go and I think they're prepared. It's going to be an exciting trip and fun tournament and I'm looking forward to good things in our first event of the year."
WHAT TO WATCH FOR: The Golden Eagles head to Myrtle Beach with a veteran-laden group, boasting four golfers with experience at Caledonia Golf & Fish Club and just one newcomer. Last season, Tech finished 11th among the 18-team field at the GolfWeek Program Challenge, with both Whitney Robertson and Allyson Dunn claiming top-25 finishes in the event with scores of 75-74-75=224 and 75-78-73=226, respectively.
Photo by Cody Bryant
