Florida Challenge/Battle of the Bluegrass State
Format: 36 holes (36 on Monday)
Tee Time: Monday, 7:45 a.m. ET shotgun start
Location: Lecanto, Fla.
Course (Par/Yardage): Black Diamond Ranch (par 72/6,039)
Tournament Field (in order of Golfstat ranking): No. 18 Florida, No. 24 Louisville, No. 41 Miami, No. 50 Kentucky, No. 84 UCF, No. 103 Jacksonville, No. 134 Florida International, No. 154 South Florida
Live Scoring: Golfstat.com
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Statistically, the 24th-ranked University of Louisville women’s golf team enjoyed one of its most successful fall campaigns in recent history.
The Cardinals completed their five-event schedule, with victories at the Cardinal Cup and Ladies Fall Intercollegiate Invitational and added two additional top-five finishes. It is the program’s first back-to-back team titles since 2014-15.
Following a three-month break, having last competed in October, the Cardinals are seeking to continue that momentum when they open their spring campaign on Monday in the Florida Challenge in Lecanto, Fla., with a 7:45 a.m. shotgun start.
The one-day, 36-hole tournament is being played at Black Diamond Ranch, a par-72, 6,039-yard course. Louisville is part of an eight-team field that features four of Golfstat’s top 50: No. 18 Florida, No. 24 Louisville, No. 41 Miami, and No. 50 Kentucky.
“They [the Cardinals] know they might have a little bit of rust, so we’ve been encouraging them to be aware of where they are in the season, and this is about getting better every week, every tournament, and everyday,” head coach Courtney Trimble said. “We’re focusing on the things that we can control, and the things that are out of our control to just let go.”
As part of the tournament but separate from the rest of the field, Louisville and Kentucky are playing for the fourth Battle of the Bluegrass State title. The programs will use their scoring lineups from the event to determine the winner. Louisville currently holds a 2-1 advantage.
The Cardinals will utilize two teams, with a scoring lineup of Molly Skapik, Lauren Hartlage, Olivia Cason, Meghan Nay, and Kristin Engle. Jacqueline Twitty is competing alongside Delaney Shah, Margot Bechadergue, Linda Trockel, and Jordan Susce.
During the fall, Louisville’s four-player team average registered a 3-over-par 291.36. Currently, it is the best season mark in school history.
Hartlage, who is listed as Golfweek’s 34th-best collegiate golfer, had much to do with that success. She is leading the Cardinals in stroke average (71.57) and rounds even or below par (10). She won the Cardinal Cup in October for her first collegiate crown and added two more top-10 finishes.
Skapik and Cason also had solid fall seasons. Skapik, carrying a 72.79 average, tied Hartlage with three top-10 finishes. Cason is third in stroke average, with a 74.57.
Live results are available at Golfstat.com.
For the latest information on Louisville women’s golf, log on to GoCards.com, or, for up-to-the-minute updates, follow the team’s Twitter account at www.twitter.com/UofLWGolf or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/UofLWGolf.
Ira Green
Asst. Sports Information Director
University of Louisville Athletics
