The LSU women’s golf team tees off Saturday at the Schooner Fall Classic in Norman, Okla. at the Belmar Golf Club in its second match of the season.
LSU travels to Norman after three weeks of practice and no tournament play. It is coach Karen Bahnsen and the Lady Tiger’s first ever appearance at the 15-team Schooner Fall Classic.
Junior Madelene Sagstrom kicks off the first round Saturday at 8:30 a.m. alongside Southern Methodist University’s Lindsey McCurdy and Texas State University’s Mara Puisite.
Sagstrom, a Enkoping, Sweden native, looks to improve on her season opening 4-over-par performance as the Lady Tigers posted a combined 23-over-par in their 2013-14 debut at the Cougar Classic in Charleston, SC.
If history repeats itself, Sagstrom should have a solid outing. Her second tournament last year yielded a top-20 finish at the Liz Murphy Fall Preview.
After landing 13th out of 108 golfers in her collegiate debut, freshman Caroline Nistrup is back in the lineup as the youngest Lady Tiger golfer this weekend. Nistrup led the Lady Tigers in the season opener, finishing 1-over-par for the weekend.
She plays her first round with SMU’s Jenny Haglund and TSU’s Iman Normin.
Senior Ali Lucas — a University of Louisiana-Monroe transfer — and sophomore Elise Bradley are also in the lineup for the second time this season. Lucas will be paired with SMU’s Jennifer Park and TSU’s Lejan Lewthwaite while Bradley faces Elena Villamil of SMU and Ali Cowan of TSU.
The duo joins sophomore Nadine Dreher to complete the five golfer roster.
Dreher played in all 29 rounds last season, but it was senior Lindsay Gahm who played in the Cougar Classic last month. Dreher was up and down during her freshman season but showed glimpses of success, especially in the Alamo Invitational where she finished 30th overall.
The Lady Tigers face a new set of Southeastern Conference opponents this weekend with Georgia, Texas A&M, and Kentucky all playing in the Schooner Fall Classic. Top NCAA teams like Oklahoma, Pepperdine, and Arizona State will compete on the par-70 course that stretches over 6,000 yards.