Clemson, SC – Kelley Hester and the Clemson women’s golf team return to Mexico to open up the spring season at the IJGA Collegiate Invitational. The three day tournament will take place on the 6,437 yard, par-72 Guadalajara Country Club in Guadalajara, Mexico.
The field offers an early challenge for the Tigers as only three Atlantic Coast Conference teams make up the 14-team field and every team holds a top-50 Golfstat ranking as of Feb. 11. The field is as follows: Arizona State (2), Arkansas (15), Baylor (25), California (72), Clemson (36), Florida State (30), LSU (18), Maryland (58), Michigan (49), South Carolina (5), Stanford (8), Tennessee (42), Texas A&M (37), Virginia (41).
In addition to the strong team lineup, six of Golfstat’s top-25 individuals also join the field as South Carolina and Stanford bring along two and Arizona State and LSU round out the group.
Ivy Shepherd remains in the top spot for the Tigers a consistent first half of the season. Shepherd had a standout fall campaign after tying her career-best 65 at the Schooner Fall Classic, a tournament that the Tigers finished tied for second. The sophomore holds the team’s best stroke average with a 71.58 mark across four tournaments.
Senior Ana Paula Valdes, a native of Morelia, Mexico, returns to a course just three hours away from home. Valdes is slotted in the number three position where she looks to build off a 73.42 stroke average from the fall tournament season.
Callista Rice, Lindsay May and Gracyn Burgess crack the lineup once again as they fill out the second, fourth and fifth positions respectively. Despite playing only one tournament in the fall, Burgess holds a 72.00 stroke average after firing one of the lowest scores of the fall season at the White Sands Invitational. Her 4-under 68 was good enough for second-best fall appearances on the team.
To keep up with the Tigers at the IJGA Collegiate Invitational, be sure to follow along on golfstat.com.
Schedule
1st Round, Sunday, Feb. 16 at 9:15 EST (1st and 10th tees)
2nd Round, Monday, Feb. 16 at 9:15 EST (1st and 10th tees)
3rd Round (first nine holes), Monday, Feb. 16 at 2:15 EST (1st and 10th tees) – remain in 2nd round pairings
3rd Round (final nine holes), Tuesday, Feb. 16 at 9:15 EST (1st and 10th tees)
