March 8, 2012

ORANGE PARK, Fla. - The Samford University women's golf team will compete in its second tournament of the 2012 spring season this weekend as the Bulldogs will square off against 17 highly-touted opponents at the JMU/Eagle Landing Invitational being hosted by James Madison University on Friday through Sunday at the Eagle Landing Country Club.

The three-day, 54-hole competition will consist of 18 teams. The field for the 2012 JMU/Eagle Landing Invitational will be comprised of the following squads: Samford, Campbell, Chattanooga, East Carolina, East Tennessee State, Elon, Illinois, Illinois State, Jacksonville, James Madison, Maryland, Morehead State, UNCG, Old Dominion, Radford, USF, Stetson and Western Carolina.

The highly-acclaimed Eagle Landing Country Club is a par-72 course that plays 6,300 yards. The defending team champion of the event is Chattanooga, which finished the 2011 JMU/Eagle Landing Invitational with a three-round score of 5-under-par 859 (296-285-278).

Samford heads into this weekend's tournament with a full head of steam after recording a third-place finish at the 2012 USA Lady Jaguar Invitational on Feb. 28.

At the rain-shortened two-day competition, the Bulldogs carded identical first and second round scores of 307 at the Azalea City Golf Club (par 72, 6,051 yards).

Samford concluded the 36-hole competition with a total team score of 614, and finished just seven strokes behind first-place South Alabama (304-303 = 607) and five strokes behind second-place Butler (306-303 = 609).

So far in the 2011-12 campaign, the Bulldogs have tallied top-five finishes in five of their six tournaments, including championship titles at the Chris Banister Gamecock Classic and the Memphis Invitational. Its third-place finish at the 2012 USA Lady Jaguar Invitational proved to be Samford's third best finish of the season.

The Bulldogs completed USA Lady Jaguar Invitational with four individuals ranked among the top 15. Senior Sarah Butts paced the squad with a 36-hole score of 5-over-par 149 (74-75), while junior Anna Heim also tallied a top-10 finish by placing ninth with a two-round total of 7-over-par 151 (75-76). Butts, Samford's native of Carrollton, Ga., finished the USA Lady Jaguar Invitational tied for fifth place.

Junior Kayla Turner turned in an 11th-place performance as she carded a 36-hole score of 153 (77-76) at the Azalea City Golf Club. Turner was followed closely by teammate Natalie Mitchell, who tallied a two-round total of 154 (78-76). Mitchell concluded the tournament tied for 14th place out of 71 competitors.

Samford's Bailey Gray concluded the USA Lady Jaguar Invitational with a 36-hole score of 158 (78-80), while Alex Jasper carded a two-round mark of 167 (86-81).

The 2012 JMU/Eagle Landing Invitational will begin Friday morning and will conclude Sunday afternoon as soon as the final round of competition comes to a close. The teams will play 18 holes each day.