March 25, 2012
HOT SPRINGS, Ark. -
The Samford University women's golf team will compete in its fourth tournament of the 2012 spring season this week as the Bulldogs are slated to participate in the Sixth Annual University of Arkansas-Little Rock Classic being held Monday and Tuesday at the Diamante Country Club.
The 19-team UALR Classic will feature seven teams ranked in the top-100 nationally by GolfStat.com, led by No. 31 Tulsa. The event is open to the public and will begin with shotgun starts on both mornings.
The highly-competitive field for this week's tournament will consist of the following teams: Samford, UALR, Arkansas State, Ball State, Central Arkansas, Eastern Michigan, Louisiana-Monroe, Middle Tennessee, UMKC, Missouri State, North Texas, Northern Colorado, Northern Iowa, Oral Roberts, Texas A&M Corpus Christi, UTEP, Troy, Tulsa and Wichita State.
Oral Roberts claimed last year's team championship with a 903 team score to edge Missouri State by two strokes. Florida International's Laura Stempfle earned Individual Medalist honors with a 3-over-par 219.
In its most recent outing, Samford placed ninth at the talent-laden Pinehurst Challenge on Tuesday as the Bulldogs finished the three-round competition with a total team score of 904 (299-298-307). The 17-team tournament was held at the prestigious par-72, 5,992-yard Pinehurst No. 6 Golf Course.
Samford closed out the 54-hole tournament with a final-round score of 307. The Bulldogs placed ninth out of 17 teams and finished just one stroke behind eighth-place James Madison.
Samford's Anna Heim fired a team-best 73 on Tuesday to finish tied for 17th place in the individual standings. The Bulldogs' junior from Lafayette, La., carded a three-round score of 223 (75-75-73), while true freshman Bailey Gray followed closely with a 54-hole tally of 226 (73-74-79).
Alex Jasper, Samford's sophomore native of Clarksville, Tenn., finished third on the team with a final score of 227 (78-73-76). The Bulldogs' Natalie Mitchell and Sarah Butts then rounded out their scoring with three-round totals of 230 (75-76-79) and 234 (76-77-81), respectively.
Results will be posted at www.UALRTrojans.com following the completion of each day's competition.
