University of Tennessee Athletics
JUDI PAVON ANNOUNCES 2005-06 LADY VOL GOLF SCHEDULE
August 17, 2005 | Women's Golf
Aug. 17, 2005
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- University of Tennessee head women's golf coach Judi Pavon announced the 2005-06 schedule on Wednesday. The Mercedes-Benz Women's Collegiate Championships headlines the slate, which features five regular-season tournaments in the fall and four in the spring.
"We have put together a very competitive and fun schedule for the 2005-06 season," Pavon said. "We will return to some great events like the Cougar Classic, Mercedes, Hooters Match Play, Arizona Wildcat and the Bryan National Collegiate, and we've added some first class events that weren't on our schedule last season - UNC, Auburn, South Carolina and Hawaii.
"We will face several teams each week expected to be in the top 25 which will consistently provide a great challenge for our team. Our toughest competition will come at UNC, Mercedes, Arizona and Wake Forest as those tournaments host many of the top-10 teams as well as teams from different regions of the country."
For the second straight season, the Big Orange women will christen the campaign by participating in the Cougar Classic from Sept. 12-13 in Charleston, S.C. Last year at the event, Tennessee claimed a runner-up showing. The Lady Vols then have three weeks off before returning to action at the Lady Tar Heel Invitational from Oct. 7-9 in Chapel Hill, N.C. It will be UT's eighth appearance in the event, and first since 2003 when it earned a tie for third place.
Next up is the ninth annual Mercedes-Benz Women's Collegiate Championships, which will take place from Oct. 21-23 at Cherokee Country Club. In 2004, the Orange and White matched the best showing in program history at the tournament with a tie for second place.
"Once again the Mercedes Benz will be the highlight of our schedule," Pavon said. "Playing at home is always an advantage and competing at Cherokee Country Club is a real treat. The course is very challenging and is in immaculate condition - as a result it became a favorite of many of the teams that competed here last year.
"We have assembled a very strong field for the Mercedes as we will host six teams that finished the 04-05 season ranked in the top 15 and overall will have 10 of the top 35."
From Nov. 4-6, the Lady Vols will compete at the Auburn Derby Invitational in Auburn, Ala., before wrapping up the fall slate at the Hooters Match Play from Nov. 11-13 in Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla. Tennessee last played in the Auburn Derby in 2002, when it won the event behind tournament medalist Violeta Retamoza.
The spring portion will begin at the Arizona Wildcat Invitational for the fifth consecutive year. Set for Feb. 20-21 in Tucscon, Ariz., UT will take aim at improving on its third-place showing in 2005. Following a two-week hiatus, the Orange and White travel to Columbia, S.C., to participate in the Lady Gamecock Classic from March 10-12. It will mark the ninth appearance in the event for the Big Orange, which won the tournament in 1997.
Tennessee will then make a long trek to beautiful Honolulu, Hawaii, to compete in the Dr. Dennis Thompson from March 21-22. The Lady Vols have played in the tournament on one other occasion (2002), earning fourth place. Up next is the prestigious Bryan National Collegiate, from March 31 to April 2 in Brown Summitt, N.C. Last year, the orange-clad golfers battled eventual national champion Duke down to the wire en route to a second-place finish.
Postseason play commences with the Southeastern Conference Tournament from April 14-16 in Nashville, Tenn. UT will make the in-state trek in search of its first-ever league crown. The NCAA Regionals are slated from May 11-13 at three sites (Brown Summitt, N.C., Lubbock, Texas, and Seattle, Wash.). The Big Orange women will take aim at defending its regional title from a year ago, while also attempting to lock up a third consecutive bid to the NCAA Championships for the first time in school history. The national championships will be held from May 23-26 in Columbus, Ohio. Last year, Tennessee fired a program-record score of 1187 to notch a sixth-place tie.
| DATE | TOURNAMENT | SITE |
| Sept. 12-13 | Cougar Classic | Yeaman's Hall, Charleston, S.C. |
| Oct. 7-9 | Lady Tar Heel | Finley G. C., Chapel Hill, N.C. |
| Oct. 21-23 | Mercedes-Benz | Cherokee C.C., Knoxville, Tenn. |
| Nov. 4-6 | Auburn Derby Invite | Auburn Univ. G.C., Auburn, Ala. |
| Nov. 11-13 | Hooters Match Play | Mission Inn, Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla. |
| Feb. 20-21 | Arizona Wildcat | Arizona National G.C., Tucson, Ariz. |
| March 10-12 | Lady Gamecock | University Club, Columbia, S.C. |
| March 21-22 | Dr. Donnis Thompson | Kaneohe Klipper G.C, Honolulu, Hawaii |
| March 31-April 2 | Bryan National | Bryan Park G.C., Greensboro, N.C. |
| April 14-16 | SEC Championships | Legends Club of Tennessee Nashville, Tenn. |
| May 11-13 | NCAA Regionals | Wake Forest, Texas A&M, or Washington |
| May 23-26 | NCAA Championships | Scarlet Course, Columbus, Ohio. |
