The Wisconsin women’s golf team hits the links this weekend to start its 2012-’13 season, travelling to Charleston, S.C., for the Cougar Classic.
The tournament is being hosted by the Yeamans Hall Club, which has put together a challenging 6,219-yard, par-72 course.
The Badgers will be competing against a very deep field this year, which includes 10 of the 15 teams from last season’s NCAA National Championship field, including the team that won it all, Alabama, and last year’s Cougar Classic winner, LSU. The field also boasts 13 of the top-25 teams from last season’s final 2012 Golfweek rankings.
The Badgers finished ninth at the Big Ten Championships last season, which was one of seven top-10 finishes they had as a team.
Wisconsin will look to improve this season under head coach Todd Oehrlein, who returns for his 10th season as a Badger. Oehrlein was previously named the Co-Big Ten Coach of the year in 2011.
The Badgers boast a group of experienced golfers, including senior Lindsay Danielson, junior Kris Yoo and redshirt junior Alexis Nelson.
Danielson had a stellar junior year for the Badgers last season, putting together a 75.9 stroke average, which was not only the best on the team, but the fourth best for a single season in UW history. She carded her best score last year at this very tournament, shooting a 222 over the three-day event.
Yoo, a Schaumburg, Ill., native, put together an impressive sophomore campaign with a 76.4 stroke average and three top-20 finishes.
A leg injury kept Nelson out of action for the fall, but she returned for four of the five spring tournaments, where she put together a 77.5 stroke average. Her best tournament came at the Westbrook Invitational, where she finished sixth, shooting a 213 over 54 holes.
The Cougar Classic runs September 9-11.
UWBadgers.com contributed to this report.
