Seton Hall Announces 2016 Fall Schedule
6/13/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - Head Coach Sara Doell announced the 2016 Seton Hall women's golf fall schedule on Monday. The Pirates will participate in five tournaments this fall.
The Pirates will play in four familiar events before hosting the Pirate Invitational at Trump National to complete the fall season. The Pirate Invitational had a one-year hiatus, but now will be played in the fall season moving forward instead of the spring.
The Pirates will begin competition this fall at the William & Mary Invitational for a second straight year at Kingsmill Country Club in Williamsburg, Va., Sept. 11-12. It's the third time Seton Hall has been a part of the field at Kingsmill. Last fall, the Pirates placed ninth of 12 teams at the event. Cassie Pantelas (Canton, Ohio) tied for 10th overall with a 7-over-par, 79-72-72-223, to lead the team.
"William and Mary is an excellent event to start our season with," Doell said. "We compete on the River Course at Kingsmill Resort - the site of the LPGA Kingsmill championships, which provides a strong yet fair test of golf. This event has the potential to set the tone for the entire fall and I am excited to see us start strong there."
The following weekend, the Pirates will return to an old favorite, the Rutgers Invitational, Sept. 16-17, in Piscataway, N.J. This will be the fifth time that Seton Hall has been a part of this field, but the first since 2013. No Pirate currently on the roster have competed in the Rutgers event. Seton Hall however, has had its fair share of success in Piscataway. The Pirates won the team title in 2012, and graduate Erin McClure won the individual title in 2013.
"We have not competed in this event the past two years because of scheduling conflicts, but are excited to head back to Piscataway this fall," Doell said. "The Rutgers course is very score-able if you play smart as there are some par-5's that are reachable and several 'risk-reward' holes."
After nearly three weeks of rest, Seton Hall will play three rounds at the Yale Women's Intercollegiate, Oct. 7-9. BIG EAST Championship aside, the Yale event is the only tournament that the Pirates have participated in all seven years of the program's existence. Seton Hall placed fourth in three straight years before finishing 14th in 2015. Graduate Ali Kruse had the best individual finish for a Pirate at Yale with a 4-over-par, 220, in 2012.
"Our team loves to play this tournament," Doell said. "It's one of the top collegiate golf courses in the nation and the character of this course is the reason why. The practice round is key as there are many blind shots and holes that can be very tricky if you do not pick out the correct targets. The greens are also very large so honing in on the hole locations and knowing the undulations in the greens on approach shots is important."
The Pirates will play the Delaware Lady Blue Hens Invitational at Rehoboth Country Club for the second straight year, Oct. 22-23. Last fall, Seton Hall finished seventh in the field of 14 teams at 79-over-par. Megan Tenhundfeld led the team at 14-over-par. Pantelas was just two strokes worse at 16-over.
"We are returning because the team loved this golf course last year and it was a great event," Doell said. "The wind plays a large factor in this event as the course sits right on the shore and that can create a challenge."
Finally, Seton Hall will host the Pirate Invitational on Oct. 28-29, at Trump National in Bedminster, N.J. It's the Pirates' third time hosting the tournament, but the first time during the fall season. The Hall finished third among 17 teams in 2014 and sixth among 13 teams in 2015. McClure was the top Pirate both times. Her top effort was in 2015 when she shot a 10-over-par, 79-75-154.
"We are excited to be hosting again to finish out our fall season," Doell said. "This year we have moved to the Old Course which is the site of the 2017 U.S. Women's Open and the course will be in phenomenal shape. We have 12 teams coming in from as far north as Connecticut, as far south as Texas and as far west as Nebraska. It will be a great tournament and chance to end our fall on a solid note."
