April 22, 2012

Tech gets early start Sunday at OVC Women's Golf Championship

Tennessee Tech golfers will be the first off the tee Sunday morning at the Ohio Valley Conference championship tournament, being held at GreyStone Golf Course in Dickson. Katy Beth Glover gets the tourney underway at 8 a.m.

DICKSON, Tenn. -- The Tennessee Tech women's golf team will get an early start Sunday in the Ohio Valley Conference championship tournament at GreyStone Golf Club in Dickson, Tenn. Golden Eagle players are scheduled for the first five tee times of the day, beginning at 8 a.m.

The tournament is a three-day, 54-hole affair on the par 72, 5,964-yard layout at GreyStone. Eight schools that sponsor women's golf will compete, including seven teams -- Austin Peay, Eastern Illinois, Eastern Kentucky, Jacksonville State, Morehead State, Murray State and Tennessee Tech. Tennessee State will send three golfers who will compete as individuals.

Tech players are paired up with TSU and Eastern Illinois players.

Katy Beth Glover will up first for the Golden Eagles, stepping onto the tee first at 8 a.m., along with Tennessee State's Mya Billingsley, her first round playing partner. At 8:10, Amanda Randolph will begin play along with Bria Norris of TSU. The 8:20 tee time finds Brandy VanEtten paired with Sara Shoufler of TSU.

At the bottom of the hour, Katherine Bell has the 8:30 tee time alongside EIU's Eluse Banovic. Tech's final player, Amber Shepherd, is slated for an 8:40 start with Tiffany Wolf of Eastern Illinois.

Two more pairs will follow, then eight threesomes will round out the tournament field of 38 players.

The annual awards dinner will be held following the first round of play Sunday evening. The dinner will honor the All-OVC first-team and second-team members as well as All-Newcomer Team and Freshman of the Year. The OVC Player of the Year, Coach of the Year as well as All-Tournament and Tournament MVP awards will be presented at the conclusion of each championship.

Designed by PGA Tour pro Mark McCumber, GreyStone Golf Club offers a great championship course and staff. Located in historic Dickson, the golf course is a short drive from Nashville and is easily accessible from throughout middle Tennessee. Opened in 1998, GreyStone Golf Club is a public course that has hosted numerous high profile events including PGA Tour qualifying, Senior PGA Tour qualifying and the Tennessee State Open.

This marks the third year in a row that GreyStone has hosted the OVC Championships and the course will also host the event next season. Last year the Morehead State women's team captured its first championship while the Jacksonville State men's team won a weather-shortened 36-hole event.

In its final year of reclassification to Division I SIUE is not eligible for the OVC Golf Championships this season but are eligible for individual honors. The Cougars will compete in the event next season.

Hole-by-hole live results from each day of the championship can be accessed through links at OVCSports.com.

A year ago Morehead State won the OVC women's title in only its third season of golf after re-establishing the program following a 20-year break. The Eagles led from start-to-finish in winning by 14 strokes and also establishing a record for team score with a final round 291. The victory denied Murray State, who has won a record eight OVC crowns, a shot at a three-peat for the third time in its history.

Morehead State's Emma Jonsson claimed individual medalist honors, winning her fifth tournament (out of 11 events) of the season and also being named OVC Golfer of the Year.

This season Morehead State holds a thin margin in the best team stroke average race, averaging 306.0 stokes per round, which is just 0.1 better than second place Murray State. Jacksonville state is third in stroke average (307.3); the Gamecocks won four-straight OVC crowns from 2005-08 and were third a year ago.

Individually Morehead State junior Marisa Kamelgarn has the best stroke average in the OVC, averaging 74.6 strokes per round in 27 total rounds this season. That is nearly one full stroke better than second place Delaney Howson of Murray State. Kamelgarn has four top five finishes in 10 total events this season and has been named OVC Golfer of the Week five times this year. Kamelgarn, the 2010 OVC Freshman of the Year, tied for fifth at the OVC Championship as a freshman and was fourth a year ago. Jax State's Lucia Fernandez is tied for third in the league in stroke average (76.3). Howson is one of three Murray State golfers in the top five in the OVC in stroke average along with Alexandra Lennartsson (tied for third at 76.3) and Morgan Cross (fifth at 76.4). Jonsson, the defending champion, has averaged 77.6 strokes per round this season (tied for eighth in the OVC).