Troy University Athletics
Monday, April 18
Muscle Shoals, AL
Troy University
vs
Middle Tennessee State University
Trojans Among Several Looking to end Denver’s Run
4/16/2011 11:54:35 AM | Golf (W)
SUN BELT CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL | TROY MEDIA GUIDE
MUSCLE SHOALS, Ala. – The Troy University women's golf team will be one of several Sun Belt Conference squads looking to put an end to the run of success Denver has enjoyed at the Club Glove Sun Belt Conference Women's Golf Championship, which opens play on Monday.
Denver enters the tournament, which is again being played on “The Schoolmaster” Course at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail “The Shoals” facility, having captured eight consecutive league tournament titles going back to 2004.
The Pioneers, however, will not enter the 2011 tournament as the favorite. Both North Texas and FIU own better stroke averages this year and are considered to be the front-runners for the automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.
“We've seen everyone except for Denver,” Trojans coach Matt Terry said. “Probably the best team we have seen this year is North Texas. They have played extremely well. FIU has had a very good year and we almost beat them at the Little Rock Tournament.”
Terry said that behind North Texas and FIU, there are a group of teams, including Troy, that could challenge for the conference crown.
“We have four tournament winners in our van going to conference,” Terry said. “If they get there, hang loose, do their thing and have some fun, you never know what might happen. They may all tie it together at the right time. Four of them have proven that they can win as individuals and they have proven that they can win as a team. It would be nice to see them play well.”
Troy's four individual tournament titles belong to junior Haley Lawrence (2009 Troy Invitational), freshman Signy Arnorsdottir (2010 ULM/Fred Marx Invitational), senior Liz Balkcom (2011 Samford Intercollegiate) and, most recently, sophomore Sofia Bjorkman (2011 Troy Invitational). Sophomore Sara Fennvick will be the Trojans' fifth for the Sun Belt Championship.
Despite Bjorkman's individual victory, the Trojans were unable to capture the team title at the Troy Invitational, falling to Western Kentucky. Despite the fact that the Troy players enjoy playing at Troy Country Club, Terry said they put a lot of pressure on themselves to perform on their home course.
“They were disappointed,” Terry said. “They put a lot of pressure on themselves to win that tournament. They play at Troy Country Club a lot and enjoy playing there, but they just didn't get it done. They have to have a short-term memory about that and move on. We've had good practices and good weather and we need to relax and rest up a little.”
Returning to “The Shoals” for the Sun Belt Championship should help the Trojans forget the disappointment of last week. The facility has hosted the Sun Belt for championship events twice in the past.
“We are really excited to be going back to the Shoals,” Terry said. “This is our third trip there over the last five years and we'll be going back there for the next two yeas.”
Terry said the Schoolmaster Course is similar in nature to other Robert Trent Jones facilities, with one major difference.
“The course has some similarities, but the greens are a lot flatter than some that we play around here,” Terry said. “It is a good course and we will have a good opportunity to make some moves at different points on the course. A couple of the par fives are reachable for the girls and the par threes are very good. The greens have been flattened out some, and that makes it a little easier for everyone.”
The course is expected to play at 6,160 yards over a par 72 for the Sun Belt Championship. The course features a pair of long par fives on the front, but two shorter, more reachable, par fives early on the back nine.
Terry said that being able to take advantage of a local facility such as Troy Country Club is a perfect way to prepare for many of the tournaments the Trojans compete in, especially the Sun Belt Championship.
“It is huge,” Terry said. “The course if five minutes from campus and we are so welcomed out there. Tony Mitchell does a great job with the golf course and the membership is so welcoming to us. We love going there and being around the members and having them around and supporting us.
“It is a perfect golf course to prepare us for tournament play, especially for the girls. We think it is a harder course than some of the others we go to, especially since the redesign of some of the greens. The course stays in phenomenal shape and is in better condition right now that it ever has been.”
Terry said the relationship his program has enjoyed with Troy Country Club is one that is crucial to the future success of the Troy golf program.
“We look forward to many years in the future of going out there,” Terry said. “Our teams have really benefitted from being able to practice there, and you can see that in our scoring averages. Every year that we have been able to use that facility our scoring averages have gotten better and that is a credit to the membership as well as to Tony and his crew for all of their hard work.”
The Trojans will play a practice round on Sunday afternoon at “The Schoolmaster” course, which is named for former U.S. President Woodrow Wilson. Tournament play will start on Monday morning. The teams will play 18 holes each day through Wednesday.
For continual coverage of the 2011 Club Glove Sun Belt Conference Women's Golf Championship, visit the SBC Championship Central page as well as Troy Trojans.com.
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