CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- Chattanooga is looking to add to its wins list after a season-opening title at the Chris Banister Classic at this weekend's Mercedes-Benz Women's Championship beginning Friday, Oct. 10, at Fox Den Country Club in Knoxville, Tenn. Since restarting the program last year, the Lady Mocs have five wins in 13 starts.
Ranked No. 30 in the Golfstat rankings, Chattanooga faces a strong field as seven top 25 teams and 14 teams in all in the top 50 highlight the field. Two more teams are just outside the top 50 so 16 of the 18 teams will be battling it out over 54 holes as the tourney runs through Sunday.
The Lady Mocs are coming off a 13th-place finish at the power-packed Mason Rudolph's Women's Championship. Finishing 13th was a bit disappointing despite defeating three teams ranked in the preseason top 25. But Chattanooga proved its ability to compete at the highest level, especially with its second round 292.
WHO: Maria Salinas. True freshman from Lima, Peru is tied with sophomores Emma de Groot and Christine Wolf with two par or better rounds on the season. Finished tied for 45th against a major field at the Mason Rudolph Women's Championship keying the Lady Mocs best round (292) with an even-par 72. The Lady Mocs have eight par or better rounds through two tournaments.
WHAT: Mercedes-Benz Women's Championship
WHEN: Friday-Sunday, Oct. 10-12
WHERE: Fox Den Country Club; Knoxville, Tenn.
HOW: Chattanooga topped three preseason top 25 teams at the Mason Rudolph Women's Championship - (12) Wake Forest, (22) Tennessee and (25) Stanford.
QUOTABLE: “This is another great opportunity for our team,” said Head Coach Colette Murray. “The competition at this event is a very high level, and I have a great deal of confidence in our ability to compete at that level.”
TOURNAMENT NOTES
LINEUP (Scoring Avg.): Emma de Groot (73.5), Christine Wolf (75.0), Kayla Stewart (75.3), Maria Salinas (75.0), Maju Loza (77.3)
THE FIELD (Golfstat Ranking): (10) North Carolina, (12) Denver, (18) LSU, (19) Texas A&M, (20) Louisville, (21) Kent State, (24) Arkansas, (27) South Carolina, (30) CHATTANOOGA, (33) UCF, (41) Furman, (42) N.C. State, (43) Tulane, (46) Kentucky, Ole Miss, SMU, Tennessee, Indiana State
