Baylor Women’s Golf Opens Spring Season at SMU Challenge
WACO, Texas – Baylor women’s golf tees off for its spring season with a 36-hole day Monday in the SMU Challenge at Dallas Athletic Club.
The one-day tournament features six teams and 10 individuals. No. 25 Baylor will face No. 26 Texas Tech, SMU, North Texas, Tulsa and Kansas State on the same course where the 2020 Big 12 Women’s Golf Championship will be played in April.
Baylor’s lineup is led by junior Gurleen Kaur in the No. 1 spot. She’s followed by senior Erica Chiang, graduate transfer Elodie Chapelet, freshman Hannah Karg and junior Diane Baillieux. Karg is a spring enrollee who joined the team in January and is playing in the No. 4 spot in her collegiate debut. Senior Fiona Liddell, freshman Anika Veintemilla and junior Jordan Shackelford will compete as individuals.
BU is paired with Texas Tech and SMU for the 8:30 a.m. CT shotgun start. Teams will continue play into a second round immediately after the first round is complete. Kaur will start on the first tee, Chiang begins on No. 2, Chapelet on No. 3, Karg on No. 4, Baillieux on No. 6, Liddell on No. 7, Veintemilla on No. 9 and Shackelford on No. 18.
Kaur enters the spring leading the team with a 71.53 stroke average and nine of 15 rounds at par or better. She’s recorded three top-10 finishes in five events, including a pair of top-three finishes. She has accepted an invite to compete in the 2020 Augusta National Women’s Amateur the first week of April.
Chapelet ranks second on the Bears with a 72.60 stroke average and six of 15 rounds at par or better. Chiang ranks third at 73.00 and has played three of nine rounds at par or better. Liddell has competed in all five tournaments during the 2019-20 season and has a 73.80 stroke average and three of 15 rounds at par or better. Baillieux has played 10 rounds with a 74.20 stroke average.
The No. 25-ranked Bears finished in the top half of the field in all five fall tournaments, including three fourth-place finishes to begin the season. The SMU Challenge is the final chance to watch Baylor compete in Texas until the 2020 Big 12 Championship, which will be played on the same Dallas Athletic Club course April 24-26.
SMU Challenge results will be posted to Golfstat following each round, but live scoring will not be available. Follow @BaylorWGolf Twitter, Instagram and Facebook for updates throughout the season.
SMU CHALLENGE FIELD (Golfstat ranking)
Baylor (No. 25)
Kansas State (No. 84)
North Texas (No. 53)
SMU (No. 111)
Texas Tech (No. 26)
Tulsa (No. 105)