Kent State University
Jim West Challenge
No. 14 Women's Golf Begins at Jim West Challenge
9/10/2017 10:57:00 AM | Women's Golf
KENT, Ohio – The No. 14 Kent State University women's golf team begins the 2017-18 season this week in East Texas at the Jim West Challenge, hosted by Texas State at the Fazio Course at The Club at Carlton Woods.
The Golden Flashes begin the tournament with two rounds on Monday and the final round on Tuesday. Action on both days begin with a shotgun start at 10 a.m. EST/9 a.m. CST.
Kent State will play in several states this year in order to see the top competition in the NCAA, and this tournament is no different. Joining the Flashes are: Texas State, No. 24 Texas A&M, UNCG, TCU, Southern Mississippi, UTSA, No. 25 Oklahoma, Missouri, Augusta, No. 10 Duke, Texas Tech and Tulsa.
The tournament has become an early season tradition for Kent State, but the effects of Hurricane Harvey nearly cancelled the plans for all teams involved. Fortunately, the hosts Texas State and Carleton Woods put in the hard work to keep the tournament on schedule.
The Flashes will bring a familiar lineup to start the season, including four returners from the squad that advanced the match play at the NCAA National Championship. Those returners include 2017 MAC Golfer of the Year Pimnipa Panthong, 2017 MAC Individual Champion Michaela Finn, Marissa Kirkwood and Kelly Nielsen. The tournament will also host the collegiate debut of Kelly's sister, Kory Nielsen, the No. 1 junior golfer in the state of Ohio for the class of 2017.
Kent State enters the year in the top-20 in multiple polls, recognized across the country as a national contender. Head coach Greg Robertson's teams have broken the record for team scoring average in all four of his seasons, and the 2017-18 team has the firepower to continue that trend.
Last season, Kent State finished second overall at the Fazio Course, in one of the strongest performances of the season. Kent State tied the program-record for a 54-hole tournament, shooting under 850 as a team for the first time since April of 2006. Panthong shot a 63 in the second round, the best round score in program history.
For results after each day, check back with KentStateSports.com.
Players Mentioned
