University of Tennessee Athletics
1999 Mercedes-Benz Championships Arrive at Gettysvue
October 12, 1999 | Women's Golf
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- The 1999 Mercedes-Benz Women’s Collegiate Championships golf tournament gets underway this week at the Gettysvue Polo, Golf and Country Club in Knoxville. Hosted by Tennessee, the event will showcase 18 of the top collegiate women’s golf teams from around the country. The practice round is scheduled for Thursday, Oct. 14, while tournament play runs Friday, Oct. 15, through Sunday, Oct. 17. Tee times are at 8:30 a.m. on Friday and Saturday off the first and 10th holes, and an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start will begin Sunday’s play.
"This tournament is going to provide an excellent week of golf," said Lady Vol head golf coach Lori Brock. "The support of all of our sponsors and of the community always help make this one of the best tournaments. We have many of the top 25 teams coming, and all of the teams can really play. The course is in great shape and should give the players a good challenge."
The event is entering its third year and will once again feature several of the nation’s top-ranked teams. Ten of the top 25 squads in the most recent MasterCard rankings will hit the par 72, 5,985-yard Gettysvue layout. Among them are Alabama, No. 11 Auburn, No. 1 Duke, No. 24 Florida, No. 21 Furman, No. 6 Georgia, No. 8 Louisiana State, Memphis, Mississippi, North Carolina, No. 18 Ohio State, Purdue, No. 19 San Jose State, No. 17 South Carolina, the Swedish National Team, Vanderbilt and Wake Forest, along with the host team, No. 15 Tennessee. In addition, 15 of the teams are among the top 50 in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings.
Tennessee will send five individuals out onto the hilly course. Sophomores Young-A Yang and Tina Schneeberger, and freshmen Erin Simmons and Rosanna Zernatto will all be playing in their third tournament on the season. Yang posted top-five finishes in the team’s first two fall events, including third-place at last weekend’s Tar Heel Invitational. Schneeberger also posted a strong performance in North Carolina, ending tied for fourth in her collegiate-best finish. Senior Stacey Bergman will round out the Lady Vol lineup in her return to competitive golf. After undergoing surgery over the summer, she sat out the first two events of the season.
"We are more prepared for Gettysvue than past years," Brock said. "This course is like none other that we play in collegiate golf. It is very demanding both mentally and physically. I think the lineup we have for the weekend will work well with the course and the competition. We are all very confident, starting the season with two strong performances, and we’re looking forward to playing in front of a home crowd."
