Oct. 8, 2009
Live Scoring
WINSTON-SALEM, NC -
After nearly a month break, the No. 12-ranked Wake Forest women's golf team returns to action this weekend as it looks to defend its title at the Lady Tar Heel Invitational at the Finley Golf Course in Chapel Hill, NC.
This will be the Demon Deacons first tournament since returning from the Topy Cup early last month. Wake finished second in Japan behind the nation's top team, Arizona State.
Head coach Dianne Dailey's lineup this weekend will feature senior Dolores White along with juniors Natalie Sheary and Allie Bodemann, sophomore Cheyenne Woods and freshman Michelle Shin. After the long layoff, Dailey and the team are ready to get back to action.
"We are all ready to get back playing", said Dailey. "We have been practicing well and the students are in good shape. I know they are anxious to get playing again and I am excited to watch them. They seem to be hitting the ball well and I think we're going to have a very good tournament."
Last year, the Deacons dominated the final two rounds, pulling away from the Tar Heels to post a 12-shot victory. Sheary and graduate Jean Chua each finished the tournament at even-par and shared medalist honors.
If Wake wants to repeat as champions, it will have to do so against a strong field as 15 of the 18 teams are in the top-40 of the latest Gold World poll, including six of the top-15.
"The field this week is very strong once again," said Dailey. "This tournament always seems to bring in the best teams so we're going to have to be ready to play."
Auburn is the highest ranked team in the field at No.3 while Denver is No. 9 and Alabama comes in at No. 10. Wake is the highest-ranked of six ACC teams as the Deacons are at No. 12. Virginia is ranked 14th followed by Duke at No. 15, Florida State at No. 19, North Carolina at No. 22 and North Carolina State at No. 51.
Wake started the year with a trip to Tanagura, Japan, to participate in the Topy Cup. Sheary led the team with a sixth-place finish at 2-over par while Woods was a shot behind her in seventh. Shin played well in her first collegiate tournament, carding rounds of 71-77-73 to finish tied for eighth at 5-over.
The first round begins Friday morning as the Deacons are paired with North Carolina and Virginia. The second round will take place on Saturday and the final round will be on Sunday.
The weather forecast looks great for Friday and Saturday but the temperatures will likely drop on Sunday and a chance of rain creeps in. Live scoring of each of the three rounds will be available through www.golfstat.com.
