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Season Preview for SUU Women’s Golf

By Bryson Lester, Director of Strategic Communication at Southern Utah University

 

CEDAR CITY, Utah — The Thunderbird women’s golf team will compete in the first tournament of their 2018-19 slate, playing in the 2018 Hobble Creek Fall Classic hosted by Utah Valley University.  

2017-18 Recap

The 2017-18 campaign for the Thunderbirds culminated in a sixth-place finish at the Big Sky Conference Championship, after the team racked up nine top-10 finishes as a team leading up to the final tournament at Boulder Creek Golf Club.

Top Returners

Returning to SUU for her junior year, Kamonwan (Poy) Prasurtwong has proved to be an incredibly valuable asset for the Thunderbirds. Last season she had the lowest round average for the T-Birds, shooting an average 74.69 in the 35 rounds she participated in.

Fellow junior Kyla Smith was big for the Thunderbirds last season as well, averaging 77.31 shots per round last season. That was the second-best mark for the T-Birds in 2017-18.

Newcomers

Last winter the Thunderbirds announced the addition of three new golfers to the team on National Signing Day, and they are all preparing for their first collegiate campaign.

Lexi Hamel, Tori Thomas and Chanikan (Pluem) Yongyuan all signed on with the Thunderbirds last November.

Hamel and Thomas joined the T-Birds from St. George. Hamel played for Snow Canyon and Thomas played for Desert Hills. Youngyuan came to Cedar City from Phitsanulok, Thailand, joining Prasurtwong as the second member of the team from the country.   

Tournament Preview – Hobble Creek Classic

The 2018 Hobble Creek Classic hosted by Utah Valley at Hobble Creek Golf Club in Springville will be a two-day, three-round event. The course plays par-71 and measures in at 6,135 yards.

Competing Teams: Utah Valley, Boise State, CSUN, Hawaii, Incarnate Word, North Dakota, Northern Arizona, Northern Colorado, Sam Houston State, Southern Utah, Tulsa, UT Rio Grande Valley and Utah Valley

Last Year @ Hobble Creek

In 2017 the T-Birds finished in ninth at the Fall Classic, shooting 914 as a team.

Prasurtwong finished 20th in the field, shooting a 224 (77, 77, 70). Smith was second for the T-Birds and tied for 29th overall with a 229 (80, 74, 75).

Words From Coach Church

“We’re really excited about the group that we’ve got and we’re looking forward to seeing how they come out and compete in this first tournament,” SUU head coach Richard Church said. “This is always a good event to see where we’re at as a team so it will be a good measuring stick for everyone.”

Follow Us

Live stats for the event will be available on www.golfstat.com.

Stay current on all things SUU Golf by following @SUUGolf on Twitter and Instagram, and by liking the Southern Utah Golf page on Facebook.

Read all about the Thunderbirds on www.suutbirds.com.