The Chase for an NCAA Championship Begins for No. 15 Women's Golf
1/29/2018 10:56:00 AM | Women's Golf
KENT STATE WOMEN'S GOLF 2017-18 SCHEDULE
KENT, Ohio – The chase for a return trip to the NCAA Championships and the opportunity to better last year's top-five national finish gets underway next week for Kent State Women's Golf.
Fresh off of a warmup trip with alumni matches at the Reunion Golf Resort in Orlando over the weekend, the 15th-ranked Golden Flashes are set to open the spring season in Bradenton, Fla. Feb. 5-6 in the Mid-American Match Play Challenge hosted by Bowling Green.Â
The remaining schedule is all geared towards building to a postseason that will see the Flashes go after their 20th consecutive Mid-American Conference Championship in Naperville, Ill. April 20-22, earn a spot in the NCAA Regionals May 7-9, and claim a spot in the NCAA Championship in Stillwater, Okla. May 18-23.
"It's been three and a half months since we last played in a tournament, so we are excited to see everybody and how they have progressed in the last few months," said Kent State head coach Greg Robertson. "Even though it's the 2017-18 season and we competed in four tournaments in the fall, the spring is like starting all over again."
Sophomore Pimnipa Panthong (71.92) and junior Michaela Finn (72.17) topped the Flashes in scoring average during the fall. Freshman Kory Nielsen finished her first semester of college competition at 73.75 while Karoline Stormo, Marissa Kirkwood, and Kelly Nielsen closed out the fall season at 74.33, 74.89, and 75.67, respectively.
"Pim and Michaela were solid as usual in the fall, and the player who really caught our eye was Kory," said Robertson. "She put herself in good position in tournaments like Louisville, where she was in second place going into the final round. She showed some really good things, and I'd like to see her continue to build on that.
"As a team, I think we had a good fall, and while we showed some promise in a couple of tournaments, I don't think we've played our best golf. This offseason has given us an opportunity to work on a few things and get us ready for the spring. Our goal is to be tournament ready by the end of February."
The Flashes' lineup will get a boost with the recent addition of Chloe Salort - a native of Ermont, France who begins the fall at No. 88 in the world amateur rankings.Â
"We are fortunate to add Chloe," said Robertson. "She just has a very good overall golf game. Good ball-striker. Good short game. She knows how to play the game. She knows how to score…But like everyone else on the team, she is going to have to qualify, compete, and earn her spot in the lineup. Chloe has competed and won on an international level. They play a lot of match play in Europe, and our first tournament of the spring is match play, so that will be an interesting start."
Players Mentioned
