Quinnipiac University
Benbow Invitational
QU Women's Golf Heads to Jacksonville for Benbow Invitational
3/9/2018 2:32:00 PM | Women's Golf
COURSE INFORMATION
- Blue Sky Golf Club - Jacksonville, Florida - Par 72
TEE TIMES AND FORMAT
(five players, count the four low scores)
- Monday, March 12 – First Round -- Shotgun Start 8 a.m.
- Tuesday, March 13 – Second Round -- Shotgun Start 8 a.m.
TOURNAMENT FIELD
Butler, St. John's, Lehigh, Monmouth, Quinnipiac, Eastern Illinois, Valparaiso, The Citadel, Chicago State
LAST TIME OUT
The Bobcats were last in action at the Edwin Watts/Kiawah Island Classic, hosted by the College of Charleston, on Feb. 25-27, finishing 21st overall out of 42 teams and earning their flight championship. Alexandra Sazhin led the way for Quinnipiac, breaking the school's 54-hole record by shooting a 218, surpassing the previous best of 225 set by Luciana Tobia-Palza at the 2016 MAAC Championship. As a team, Quinnipiac had a 54-hole score of 915, surpassing the program record of 933, which was also set at the 2016 MAAC Tournament.
KIAWAH CLASSIC NOTES
- Sazhin finished the tournament with 11 birdies, three coming on the final round including the first hole she played as well as holes No. 10 and 11 at the turn. Overall, Sazhin sat at -2 through the first 13 holes of the day, with a lone bogey on hole No. 5 as her only blemish through No. 16. She ended up bogeying three of her last five holes to shoot a 73 (+1) for the final round.
- Sazhin moved up nine spots on the final round to finish tied for 13th place out of 218 golfers.
- Her 11 birdies for the tournament give her 37 for the year, as she continues to chase Tobia-Palza's single-season record of 44 during the 2017-18 season, which also stands as Quinnipiac's freshman record. Queenie Lai sits at 28 for the year.
- Queenie Lai shot an 80 on the final round, to go with a 75 and 76 on the first two rounds, respectively, and complete the tournament with a 231. Her three-day total ranks as the third-best 54-hole score for a freshman in program history, tying Sazhin's 231 at last year's MAAC Championship and trailing Tobia-Palza's 225 and Julia Kemmling's 229 at the 2016 MAAC Championship.
- Tobia-Palza had an impressive day and found herself on the move on the leaderboard, jumping 31 spots from the second day, after shaving four strokes off her second-day tally. Tobia-Palza shot a 76 and an 80 on the first two rounds before carding a 76 for the final round to complete the tournament at 232.
- Tobia-Palza's 38 pars on 54 holes were tied for fourth in the field of 218 golfers. She parred 14 of her 18 holes for the final round.
- Kemmling improved by two strokes on the final day to card a 78 and finish at 238 for the tournament, while also moving up 20 spots on the final round. Kemmling was cursed with a double-bogey on her first hole, but parred 13 of her final 17 holes of the tournament.
CAPTAINS ANNOUNCED
Earlier this week, Head Coach John O'Connor announced his captains for the spring season, junior Julia Kemmling and junior Luciana Tobia-Palza. "Julia and Luciana both exemplify team work, focus, desire to win and leadership," said O'Connor. "They come to practice ready to work hard with a positive attitude and a desire to improve the team and make history. Both of these golfers are very proud to be a part of Quinnipiac and the golf team. Julia and Lu are always willing to help the younger golfers on the golf course but more importantly how to make the most of their time at Quinnipiac University. I'm extremely proud to announce Lu and Julia as the golf team captains."
FALL WRAP-UP
The Bobcats were one of four NCAA Division I teams in the country to win three tournaments after winning the Dartmouth Invitational, the Hartford Invitational and the St. John's Invitational. Quinnipiac completed the first semester with its highest rating in program history at 124, just ahead of Albany (145), the Bobcats' biggest threat to a possible "Three-peat".
MAAC PRESEASON COACHES POLL FAVORITES
The Quinnipiac University women's golf team was picked as the favorite to three-peat at the 2018 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Champions, as announced by the conference via social media on Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2018. The Bobcats enter the Spring semester as back-to-back MAAC Champions and NCAA Tournament participants after winning titles in 2016 and 2017.
GOLF WEEK.COM PRESEASON FAVORITES
Golfweek.com tabbed the Quinnipiac women's golf team as the preseason favorite to win the 2018 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship, as released on Monday, Feb. 5, 2018. Quinnipiac is currently preparing for its Spring season with the goal of defending its 2016 and 2017 MAAC Championships.
THE BOBCATS AT THE TOP
Three-time conference Coach of the Year John O'Connor's squad currently features the last two MAAC Players and Rookies of the Year in Luciana Tobia-Palza, who earned both awards in 2016, as well as Alexandra Sazhin, who collected both honors last season. In addition, Julia Kemmling has earned all-MAAC honors in each of the last two seasons with back-to-back top 10 finishes at the conference tournament. Estefania Morales also earned all-conference honors in 2017.
UP NEXT
Quinnipiac will complete its Southern Spring Break trip at the Low Country Intercollegiate Invitational (hosted by Wofford) in Hilton Head, South Carolina on March 17-18.
Players Mentioned
