Women's Golf Opens Spring Slate at UCF Challenge

2017 UCF CHALLENGE
When:	Feb. 5-7, 2017
Where:	Eagle Creek Golf Club \| Orlando, Fla.
Host:	University of Central Florida (UCF)
Tournament Field:	Auburn, UCF, Clemson, Daytona State, East Carolina, Iowa State, Kentucky, Kent State, Miami (Fla.), Mississippi State, UNC Wilmington, Old Dominion, USF, SMU, Texas, Tulane, Wisconsin
Live Stats:	GolfStat.com
Tee Times:	First Round \| Second Round \| Third Round
Social Media:	Twitter: @GreenWaveWGolf \| Facebook: /GreenWaveWGolf Instagram: @GreenWaveWGolf

ORLANDO, Fla. – The Tulane women's golf team is back on the links for the second half of its 2016-17 season, traveling to Orlando for the UCF Challenge. First-round action gets underway Sunday morning at the Eagle Creek Golf Club in Orlando.

The Green Wave enter their spring slate ranked 82nd and look to build momentum amongst another stout field in this three-day, 54-hole tournament.The field boasts 11 top 60 teams in the 17-team field, including No. 14 Miami (Fla.), No. 17 Texas, No. 20 UCF, No. 34 Wisconsin, No. 35 SMU, No. 38 Auburn, No. 40 Kentucky, No. 42 East Carolina, No. 50 Clemson, No. 51 Iowa State and No. 60 Old Dominion.

Tulane is set to open play with the lineup of redshirt freshman Elise Genoux at No.1, senior Belen Goicoechea at No. 2, freshman Gabrielle Correia at No. 3, sophomore Sofia Goicoechea at No. 4 and sophomore Laura Munoz at No. 5 with freshman Haydyn Gibson playing as an individual. Head coach Lorne Don said he is excited for his young squad to be back in action ready to mirror the team's performance from each of the last two years when the Green Wave finished second in this tournament.

"We've had a lot of success there (at the UCF Challenge)," said Don. "Both Laura and Belen have seen the course and feel good on the course there. They will look to take that experience they've had, have that rub off on our younger players and help them understand where to attack out there and where you just have to be smart out there on that golf course."

Tulane comes into 2017 off a fall schedule that saw the team produce its best result in the last outing, a 10th-place showing at the Maryb S. Kauth Invitational in late October.

"There were a lot of positives this fall and the one thing we did see is the ability to play some great rounds of golf from all six players," said Don. "The one thing that really got us that was the inconsistency. As a team when you have to count four scores every round, we didn't quite put that together at the level we would have liked to."

Don said his players have used those experiences from the fall as fuel to sharpen their focus coming into the new year ready to face the challenges that lie ahead, beginning with this weekend.

"It's another great field we are heading into," said Don. "That's what we do as a program. We're always going to be challenging ourselves and that's why these players come to Tulane. This is just another step in that process. The main thing is to get the consistency up to where everyone who's competing for us is playing three good rounds of golf for the tournament."

Next up after the UCF Challenge, Tulane hosts the 2017 Allstate Sugar Bowl Intercollegiate Championship on Feb. 19-21 at English Turn Golf & Country Club. This year's field once again features some of the nation's top women's golf programs including defending NCAA champion Washington and No. 1 ranked Stanford.

Women's Golf Opens Spring Slate at UCF Challenge

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Players Mentioned

Gabrielle Correia

Elise Genoux

Belen Goicoechea

Sofia Goicoechea

Laura Munoz

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