The No. 7 LSU women’s golf team looks to solidify its top-10 ranking against premier opponents at the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, beginning at 7:30 a.m. today.
LSU competed in the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate last season, finishing in a tie for third place with Oklahoma at 33-over par, 885.
“It is good for the girls to have knowledge of the course,” said LSU coach Karen Bahnsen. “Having a good knowledge of this course helps us a lot.”
Last year, sophomore Caroline Nistrup finished three rounds of play tied for first place at 2-under par, 211. She ended the tournament in second place after Duke’s Yu Liu completed the first hole of the playoff with a birdie.
Senior Madelene Sagstrom finished the tournament in a tie for 21st at 8-over par, 221. Three Lady Tigers, who all finished scoring 18-over par, 231, followed Sagstrom.
The Tigers are set to face six of the nation’s ten best collegiate teams this weekend — No. 2 South Carolina, No. 3 Southern California, No. 5 Arkansas, No. 6 Duke, No. 9 Arizona and No. 10 Mississippi State.
“We just have to go out there and try to play the golf course,” Bahnsen said. “We must try to play the course well and stay within ourselves. That is our goal.”
LSU drove itself into the top-10 standings after completing its first team victory of the spring Feb. 24. The Lady Tigers shot a season-low 10-over par team score of 874 at the Allstate Sugar Bowl Intercollegiate Championship, giving them sole possession of the tournament title.
Sagstrom, ranked ninth in individual standings by Golfweek, finished the last tournament tied for first place at 4-under par, 212. She shared the title with sophomore Caroline Nistrup, who equaled Sagstrom’s score at -4.
“We have to continue to keep up with what we have been doing,” Bahnsen said. “We have to play our own game and not get caught up in the rankings or how we are going to finish [this season]. We have to let all of that take care of itself.”
You can reach Christian Boutwell on Twitter @CBoutwell_TDR.