University of Missouri
Minnesota Invitational
Women's Golf Opens Season at Minnesota Invitational
9/7/2018 4:17:00 PM | Women's Golf
Veteran Lineup Includes Three Seniors, Two Juniors in Starting Five
Hopes are high for the Mizzou Women's Golf Team this season, and Head Coach Stephanie Priesmeyer's squad will have its first opportunity to work toward their goals as they open the 2018-19 season this week at the Minnesota Invitational. The 15-team field will feature five programs who reached the post-season last year – including Mizzou – and will be contested at Prestwick Golf Club (Par 72 – 6,479 yards) - in Woodbury, Minn. with 54 holes to take place Sept. 10-11.
The tournament will mark the beginning of Priesmeyer's 18th season directing her alma mater's golf program, and with four of five starters returning from a team that last year qualified for the NCAA Regionals, she's understandably excited about the potential for the follow-up campaign.
"We are definitely excited to get the year started," said Priesmeyer, who took over prior to the 2001-02 season after playing for Mizzou from 1990-94. "We have a veteran team coming back, and a roster full of proven competitors and talented young players who push each other each week to get better. I'm looking forward to seeing them get out there and get going," she said.
The 2017-18 team earned an NCAA Regional team bid, and eventually finished in 10th place in the Tallahassee Regional, just missing out on advancing further in the tournament. "We outplayed our seed coming into post-season, and put ourselves in good position to keep moving forward, and I think that gave this group a lot of confidence. Naturally, everyone wants to take another step and make it further. When Jess (Yuen, junior-to-be) qualified individually for the NCAA Finals, it was a great moment for her and the program, and I know her teammates would love to join in on that experience this year as a team," she said.
It all starts this week in Minnesota, where Priesmeyer will roll out a veteran lineup that includes three seniors and two juniors. One of the juniors is Mizzou's number one player in the order, Yuen (Bolingbrook, Ill.), who looks to build off an outstanding 2017-18 season that saw her lead the team with a 72.67 stroke average – the second-lowest season average in program history. Yuen was especially tough down the stretch last year, as she finished 12th at the SEC Championship as well as the NCAA Tallahassee Regional, the latter of which qualified her to advance as an individual competitor to the NCAA Finals at Karsten Creek in Stillwater, Okla. – making her the first Tiger to qualify individually since Kristen Samp in 1996. Yuen fired an even-par 72 in round one at the finals, and ended her three days at 10-over (72-77-77), and in a tie for 57th place (the best individual showing for a Tiger at nationals).
"Jess has been our top performer for the last two years, and she is such a hard worker who is continuing to improve and set the bar very high for her, as well as her teammates," said Priesmeyer. "She is a tremendous ball striker and puts herself in position to score as often as anyone. She's as driven as anyone I've coached, and I know she expects a lot from her game, so I'm excited to see her compete," she said.
Mizzou's second in the lineup is senior Emma Allen (Southampton, England), who has shown the ability to go low quite often. Allen had an outstanding junior season, averaging 73.58 strokes per round (sixth-best in program history), and she turned in two top-five finishes and tied a program record with a seven-under par 65 at the Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown in the fall. This past summer, Allen finished sixth at the prestigious English Women's Amateur Championship.
"Emma has the game to go low any day, and I truly believe she is poised to get a win this year," said Priesmeyer of Allen, who has three runner-up showings in her three years as a Tiger. "She's had a lot of opportunities to do that, and it just hasn't gone her way, but I think she's ready to knock that door down, as she's come back from the summer break and looks stronger than ever. I've been very impressed with the work she's put in on the range and the practice green, and maybe even more so impressed with her willingness to help her teammates and help them improve their games," she said.
Beginning the season in the number three slot for Mizzou will be senior Amanda Kim (O'Fallon, Mo.). Kim made the lineup a year ago in five outings, and had a top-five performance at the annual MU-hosted Johnie Imes Invitational held each fall at the Club at Old Hawthorne. In that tournament, Kim rounds of 71-72-73 for a three-round even-par total of 216.
"Amanda showed a lot of promise last season, and she has been very solid in the first few weeks of practice this fall," said Priesmeyer. "I know she is looking forward to having a great senior season and to finish her career up strong for the team. She is a very hard worker and she has to work against being too hard on herself out there at times. My overriding goal for Amanda this year is to have fun, enjoy the ride and just know that she has put in the work to have the success she deserves," she said.
Slotted in the number four slot to open fall play for Priesmeyer's team is senior Cayce Hendrickson (Benton, Ky.). Hendrickson – who reached the championship match in her home state's women's amateur championship this summer – played in nine tournaments as a junior for Mizzou and she turned in a pair of top-20 finishes along with a career-best stroke average of 75.7 per round. Hendrickson came on strong in the spring season and was in the team's top three in each of the last four tournaments, including the MountainView Classic, when she led the team and finished tied for eighth overall with a three-round 218 (72-76-70/2-over).
"Cayce is someone we have relied on heavily for the past two seasons, and she's come through for us consistently," said Priesmeyer. "She doesn't miss many shots and rarely gets into big trouble, so she can get it around the course pretty consistently for us and she's got the ability to throw in an under-par round too. Cayce has a 'can-do' and 'will-do' positive mindset that is very infectious with her teammates, and we will rely on her to keep that going for the team this year," she said.
Rounding out the Tiger lineup for the season opener in the number five spot is junior Cherise Otter (Bloomington, Ind.). Otter had a solid stroke average of 76.8 as a sophomore while playing in eight tournaments (four appearances in the lineup). She earned her way into the lineup at the biggest time of the year for the team's appearance at the 2018 NCAA Tallahassee Regional and she acquitted herself nicely, shooting a three-round 228 total and finishing third on the team at 12 over par (76-75-77). Priesmeyer hopes that late-season boost carries over into this year for Otter.
"I expect Cherise will see a lot of playing time this season, and I'm excited for her to get out there because her ball striking is really solid right now, she has really shown big improvement there," said Priesmeyer. "Her key will be to stay patient out there and work her course management the right way to help her stay away from big numbers," she said.
Three other talented players will have opportunities to crack the lineup throughout the year in 2018-19, and they include senior Mackenzie Perez (Ranchos Palos Verdes, Calif.), redshirt freshman Julia Bower (Columbia, Mo.) and freshman Keagan Dunn (Braselton, Ga.). Perez showed the ability to go low a year ago, as half of her six rounds were in the 70s. Bower took a redshirt in 2017-18 while the 2016 Missouri State High School Class 2A state champion got acclimated to the college life and turned in a perfect 4.0 grade point average. Dunn is a highly-regarded recruit from Georgia who coaches expect to be a mainstay in the lineup throughout her career.
"Mackenzie hasn't been able to see a lot of competition over her career to this point due to some untimely injuries, but she's been an awesome teammate and always keeps everyone feeling the positive vibes even if things aren't going her way. We would love for her to finish her last year here with a bang, and I hope that she can relax and enjoy the process and have fun," said Priesmeyer.
"Julia and Keagan have done some good things this pre-season, I've been impressed with their consistency overall," said Priesmeyer. "They will continue to see their scores improve, and they will work hard to make themselves better and hopefully challenge for a spot in the lineup. If they can eliminate the big numbers, penalty shots, and three-putts, they'll be right there," she said.
With five fall tournaments on the docket, the highlight is always the annual MU-hosted Johnie Imes Invitational. This year's event will be held over three days at the Club at Old Hawthorne (Oct. 1-3), where the Tigers will look to defend their 2017 title and win their fifth-consecutive Imes title.
Players Mentioned
