ATHENS, Ga. — Georgia women’s golf will play its fifth and final tournament of the fall portion of the season in the Bahamas this weekend, competing at the White Sands Invitational on Paradise Island from Friday through Sunday. The tournament will tee off with a shotgun start at 8 a.m. each day and consist of three-consecutive days of 18 holes of golf at the Ocean Club Golf Course.
“The team is fired up to head down to the Bahamas for a business trip,” head coach Erika Brennan said. “There was a lot of good that came out of our last event, and we are all ready to continue the climb together. The winds will play a big factor in the results here, so it will be very important for us to manage expectations, stay patient, and execute. The team is ready for the challenge, and we’re all excited to experience that wonderful Bahamian hospitality.”
Georgia will compete with nine other squads for the team title on Paradise Island, including two other Southeastern Conference opponents. Texas A&M enters as the top-ranked team in the field, earning a No. 15 ranking in the latest WGCA Coaches Poll, while Missouri rounds out the trio of SEC representatives in the Bahamas. Other teams competing at the White Sands Invitational include Abilene Christian, Baylor, Coastal Carolina, the College of Charleston, Kansas, Purdue, and Xavier.
Georgia arrives in the Bahamas following a strong showing at the Illini Invitational on Oct. 7-8. The Bulldogs placed eighth as a team at 5-under par behind a runner-up performance from Morgan Smith. The sophomore shot 10-under par over 54 holes, including 6-under in the tournament’s final round, to set career bests in both categories. Her 6-under is tied for the third-lowest relation-to-par round in program history while her 10-under effort across three rounds matched the fifth-best individual tournament performance in team history.
Smith will lead off the Bulldogs’ lineup in the Bahamas in the first position, followed by graduate student Chantal El Chaib in the second slot. Freshman Zixin “Candice” Lou fills the third spot in the lineup while senior Kate Song and sophomore Celine Brovold Sanne will occupy the fourth and fifth positions, respectively.
Georgia makes its return to the White Sands Invitational for the first time since the inaugural event in 2019. The Bulldogs carded a 9-over 873 to finish tied for eighth as freshman Caterina Don placed fourth individually at 6-under par.
Georgia will be paired with Purdue and the College of Charleston and will tee off in a shotgun start at 8 a.m. on Friday. Live scoring will be available at https://gado.gs/c86.