The Irish will open their spring season this weekend when they travel to Hilton Head, S.C., to participate in the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate Tournament.
After a long winter off the golf course, the team is excited to get back to competition.
"The players are very excited to play again," Irish coach Susan Holt said. "They know they need to play better than they did in the fall and I know they're capable to do better. We're ready to get the season going."
With the winter weather in South Bend, the team has not been able to get outside much to practice. Holt said she is ready for her team to be able to get outside to compete as the spring season begins.
"This tournament is a great opportunity to get back outside and play rounds," Holt said. "We were able to get outside in the last week to hit off the grass, but we've not played competitively. This weekend will be good to get back into competition mode and adjust again to tournament play."
With at least seven ranked teams slated to compete in the tournament, Holt believes the weekend's competition can serve as a confidence booster for her team.
"This tournament will be a great chance for us to get quality wins over quality competition," Holt said. "This can be a huge confidence boost for us, especially if we come out and play the way we are capable of."
The Irish will depend on seniors Becca Huffer and Katie Allare to lead a small squad of only five golfers. Sophomore Kristina Nhim and freshmen Ashley Armstrong and Kelli Oride round out the roster.
"Huffer is the leader of this team," Holt said. "She's played every tournament for us since freshman year. She's our solid rock, and we will definitely look to her for leadership."
While Huffer may be the leader of the team, Holt says it will take a team effort to succeed this weekend.
"We really need a big team effort this weekend," Holt said. "We need four good scores to compete in every round, not just one or two."
The Darius Rucker Intercollegiate tournament will tee off today at 9:30 a.m. in Hilton Head, S.C.
