The Lady Tigers golf team looks to repeat last year’s results at the Mason Rudolph tournament this weekend.
The team won the tournament in 2010, setting a tournament team record with a 21-under par.
The Lady Tigers also have the chance to win their second straight tournament, following a victory at last week’s Cougar Classic to start the season.
Lady Tigers tennis coach Karen Bahnsen said this year’s course in Franklin, Tenn., isn’t the same as the one they achieved a record-setting score at last season.
“They’re going to change up the course to make it more difficult, so we may not be able to score as low as last year,” Bahnsen said.
The Lady Tigers face more than just terrain challenges this weekend, as they face off against some of the top teams in the nation.
Included in the field is defending national champion UCLA, which placed third in last year’s Mason Rudolph tournament. No. 1-ranked USC also poses a tough challenge to the Tigers, according to Bahnsen.
Senior Tessa Teachman and sophomore national champion Austin Ernst are expected to lead the team this weekend, following great individual finishes at the Cougar Classic.
Ernst placed first overall with a 13-under par, and Teachman tied for third place with an 8-under par.
Ernst said she expects her play this weekend to be a successful follow-up to last week’s showing.
“Coming off last week, I felt I played really well,” Ernst said. “I expect the next tournament to be a similar course set up to what we had last week.”
Bahnsen said the course suits Ernst’s abilities well, and the added confidence from last week’s win will help her excel this weekend.
The Lady Tigers will be without senior Jacqueline Hedwall this weekend. She will be caddying for her twin sister, Caroline, as she competes in the Solheim Cup, a women’s professional tournament.
Bahnsen doesn’t expect Hedwall’s absence to hurt the team’s overall score and said that caddying in a professional tournament is a huge opportunity for her.
She said the key to an LSU first-place finish for the second year in a row will depend on the depth of the roster.
“It has to be a team effort just like last weekend. It’s a matter of everybody contributing this weekend,” Bahnsen said.
 
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