After an impressive Cardinal Kickoff, the Lady Vols’ golf team looks to continue their early success into the 12th annual Cougar Classic in Charleston, South Carolina.
After finishing ninth in the Cougar Classic tournament the past two years, the Lady Vols will be eyeing a strong finish.
Head coach Judi Pavon is already praising her team heading into the tournament.
“This is an interesting group,” Pavon said. “We don’t have a clear-cut No. 1 player. … This week, we are traveling with five girls who are all playing good. Any one of them could be our No.1 player this week.”
Pavon will be taking senior AJ Newell, freshman Anna Newell, sophomore Hannah Pietila, sophomore Lucia Polo and freshman Blakesly Warren, who all played in last week’s Cardinal Kickoff with the exception of Polo. AJ Newell is coming off a fourth place finish at six over par in the tournament, while her sister Anna Newell and Hannah Pietila were tied for sixth. Warren finished her collegiate debut tied for 12th in the tournament.
The Lady Vols’ skills will be put to the test in this year’s Cougar Classic, with Pavon calling it “the best field it’s ever been.”
Ten Top 25 teams are competing this year, including last year’s national champion, Duke, who is averaging a score of 70.89 coming into the tournament. No. 2 powerhouse UCLA and No. 7 Arkansas will also be testing the Lady Vols’ grit in the tournament.
As of Aug. 26, golfweekrankings.com had the Lady Vols’ ranked 52nd in the country, one better than fellow-tournament competitor, Georgia.
“We are a way better team (than last year),” Pavon said. “We’re hoping that we can prove we have great players on the team early this year … There are a lot of good teams in this field. We weren’t ranked in the preseason top 30, but I think we are a team that’s that good.”
The course won’t be anything new to most of the players competing.
AJ Newell has seen this course four times, while Polo and Pietila will be returning from last year. Coach Pavon has seen the course 10-11 times and thinks the course suits her team well.
“They’re long hitters, and I think it’s a good course for long hitters,” Pavon said. “I look for them to play well this week.”
The Cougar Classic tournament will be held Sept. 14 to Sept. 16.
