McNeese State’s Cowgirls will open their fall golf season Saturday in Mobile, Alabama, and coach Mike Fluty said he’s expecting the squad to get back on track.
They completed their fall schedule of a year ago with high expectations, having posted three top-five finishes in tournaments and were the runners-up in their last event, the Alabama-Birmingham Fall Beach Bash.
Spring came along and the team never got back to its fall routine, making one top-10 effort, that in the season-ending Southland Conference tournament.
Fluty said his team heads into the fall with a renewed purpose.
“We will be going in as a team knowing what we are want to try to accomplish. We are in a much better mental state,” he said.
Keys to the team’s performance are expected to be the play of senior leaders Kaitlin Fox and Becca Tudor along with junior Kennedy Bodfield.
Four players on the team had scoring averages below 79 a round last fall, but none broke that mark in the spring.
Fox led the team last fall with a 75.57 stroke average and had two top-10 finishes while Tudor, a fifth-year senior, has shown substantial improvement .
Fluty said Bodfield — who had a standout freshman year but drifted back in the statistics last season — could be the best player on the squad.
“She’s really swinging the club good, is showing a lot of confidence on the course and her play will be a big factor in our success,” Fluty said.
The coach added that three other juniors — Hannah Valentine, Olivia Hansen and Ashlynn Novak — have shown that they worked hard over the summer months and will have the opportunity to contribute to the team while sophomore Melvi Pan and freshmen Alexandra Ozuna and Alyssa Stoddart could contribute.
Riley Issac, a sophomore who was the team’s second-leading scorer last fall, is returning after back surgery and won’t compete until the spring.
The team will be qualifying through Tuesday for the starting spots in this week’s season opener.
Following that tournament the Cowgirls will play in the East Carolina Intercollegiate (Sept. 25-27), the Southern Miss Golden Eagle Jam (Oct. 10-11) and the Incarnate Word Invitational (Oct. 24-25).
Their spring season begins Feb. 9 at the Ball State Sunshine Invitational at the PGA Village in Port St. Lucie, Florida.
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The McNeese Cowboys, defending Southland Conference champions, get their fall season underway this week, opening in the Indiana University Wolf Run Intercollegiate on Saturday in Zionsville, Indiana.
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Local tour pro Ben Suarez made it through the pre-qualifier for the web.com tour on Friday when he finished a three-day event with a 1-under-par 215 (72-72-71). Play was at Cypress Woods in Houston.
His next step is the first stage of qualifying school in October at the Woodlands.
Suarez is expected to be back in action on the Adams Tour next week, playing in the Dallas Open, which will run Sept. 14-16 and then the following week in Brownswood, Texas (Sept. 21-24).
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Club pro and tournament director George McInnis announced the dates of Oct. 8-9 for the Sulphur men’s city tournament at Frasch Park.
Kade Hagan is the defending champion, and one of those who is expected to battle him for this year’s title is former champion Neithan Allen, who recenlty won the Westlake city crown.
McInnis said the event is open to any golfer with an established handicap.
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The Lake Charles Country Club will be the host for the annual Louisiana men’s senior four ball tournament Sept. 24-25.
Several local teams are expected to compete and among those who have entered are Billy Gabbert, Bill Land, Mike Bradford and Mike Colosky .
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Golfers posted a hole-in-one and a pair of eagles at Mallard Cove the past week.
Ron Deville had the ace, knocking in a 9-iron from 125 yards on No. 11, while Pap Williams and Leonard Saunders both eagled No. 18. Williams rapped a 6-iron to within 5 feet and made his putt and Saunders holed out from a greenside bunker.
Upcoming
Sept. 23 — Southwest Louisiana Law Center scramble, Gray Plantation.
Sept. 30 — McNeese Petrochem scramble, Mallard Cove.
Oct. 7 — Bishop’s Golf Classic, The National.
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Louis Bonnette has written about local golf for the American Press since 1971. His column appears each Sunday. Contact him at 274-5689 or lbonnette@mcneese.edu
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