CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.---The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga women's golf team is heading to its final Spring event this weekend before the championships run. The Mocs are one of 15 teams entered in the SunTrust Gator Women's Golf Invitational April 10-11 at the Mark Bostick Golf Course at the University of Florida.
The 15 teams in the field include eight ranked top 50 nationally including Chattanooga at No. 38 on Golfstat. Four top 25 teams (No. 12 Michigan State, No. 18 Florida, No. 23 Texas A&M and No. 24 Florida State) will provide a challenge for the Mocs.
Chattanooga is coming off a strong top 10 at the Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invitational two weeks prior. The Mocs beat five top 50 teams including one top 25 (then-No. 24 UC Davis).
Emma de Groot is coming off a season-high 42 pars and season-low six bogeys in Texas. She leads the Mocs with a 74.36 scoring average and is ranked No. 57 nationally in the Golfstat Cup and No. 62 in the Golfweek/Sagarin Ratings Index.
Maria Juliana Loza (76.73) and Christine Wolf (77.73) are next on the Mocs scoring list. Both are looking to round into form heading into the Southern Conference Championship a week later. Senior Katie Taylor (84.50) and sophomore Moa Duf (80.92) round out the travel squad. Duf has counted in 11 of her 12 rounds.
WHO: Maria Juliana Loza. Maju has three straight top 25 finishes and beat or tied 13 top 100 golfers (5 Top 50) in finishing tied for 23rd her last time out (Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invitational). She will be highlighted on the SoCon Spotlight on SoConSports.com on Monday, April 12.
WHAT: SunTrust Gator Women's Golf Invitational - 54 holes (36 First Day/18 Final)
WHEN: Saturday, April 10, through Sunday, April 11. Live scoring link can be found on GoMocs.com on the schedule page.
WHERE: Mark Bostick Golf Course at the University of Florida. Par 70, 6,002 yards. Auburn is the defending champion, although it is not in this year's field.
HOW: This is the final "regular season" event for the Mocs. The SoCon Championship is April 18-20 in Hilton Head, S.C., followed by NCAA Regionals (May 6-8) to qualify for a return trip to the NCAA Finals (May 18-21).
LINEUP (Scoring Avg.): Emma de Groot (74.36), Maju Loza (76.73), Christine Wolf (77.73), Moa Duf (80.92), Katie Taylor (84.50).
FIELD: UCF, Chattanooga, Florida, FAU, FIU, FSU, Furman, Georgetown, Georgia State, Michigan State, Nebraska, UNC Greensboro, Notre Dame, USF, Texas A&M
FIELD WITH RANKINGS (Golfstat/Golfweek): UCF (61/71), Chattanooga (38/50), Florida (18/10), FAU (144/144), FIU (82/87), FSU (24/22), Furman (45/44), Georgetown (145/142), Georgia State (44/42), Michigan State (12/15), Nebraska (66/64), UNC Greensboro (75/72), Notre Dame (40/40), USF (76/84), Texas A&M (23/20)
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