Women’s Golf Opens Sun Belt Championship Sunday

TROY, Ala. – Championship season is in full swing, and the Troy women's golf team gets its opportunity to compete for a Sun Belt title as the Sun Belt Women's Golf Championship gets under Sunday at LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Fla.

"We're probably playing the best golf we have all spring right now," head coach Randy Keck said. "We've figured a few things out and have been playing and practicing a lot better the past few weeks. We have spent a lot of time working on our putting, which has been the missing piece this summer. We've put a lot of shots within 10 feet but just haven't been able to finish."

ShaeLee Scarberry leads the Trojans into the Sun Belt Championship with a 3.32 score vs. par for the year and a team-best five rounds under par; the rest of the Troy squad has a combined four rounds in the red this season. She enters the Sun Belt Championship ranked 10^th in the league with a 75.16 stroke average this season.

Right behind Scarberry is Alyssa Mercado, who has turned in the best spring of the year for the Trojans. The North Florida transfer has posted a 75.92 stroke average in the spring, a shot-and-a-half better than her next closest teammate. Mercardo's season average of 75.80 ranks 20^th in the league.

"We are plenty capable of winning this tournament," Keck said. "Our league is way better than it has ever been, and teams one through 10 can win this week; it's a really deep league. We're a good ball-striking team and will need to hit our putts. I related it to basketball when talking to them earlier this week; we just need to see one or two go in, and then you can come out of a slump real quick."

Troy posted a 298.13 team average in its five fall events but saw that number rise to 307.00 in its six spring tournaments. The spring events, especially the early ones, were played primarily in challenging weather conditions. In mid-March, the Trojans tied for third at the Spring Break Shootout behind a fourth-place individual performance from Mercado.

Keck will turn to Elizabeth Caldarelli (5.39), Bruna Roqueta (5.76) and Anna Claire Little (5.87) to round out the rest of his lineup. Little is third on the squad with 83.9 percent of her individual rounds counting towards the team card. Carldarelli's 77.36 average in opening rounds ranks third, while Roqueta's 76.67 final round average is among the best on the team.

Teams will play 18 holes Sunday, Monday and Tuesday on the par-72, 6,193-yard LPGA International Hills Course. The Trojans enter as the No. 9 seed and will play Sunday's pairing with ULM and Georgia State beginning at 7:45 a.m. from No. 10.

Women’s Golf Opens Sun Belt Championship Sunday

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Players Mentioned

Elizabeth Caldarelli

Anna Claire Little

Alyssa Mercado

Bruna Roqueta

ShaeLee Scarberry

Troy University Athletics