FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (March 6, 2021) – Coming off marked improvement at the GCU Invitational, the Northern Arizona golf team heads south to Tucson for the Arizona Wildcat Invitational on Monday and Tuesday. The two-day tournament begins with 36 holes on Monday with a 7:30 a.m. shotgun start followed by the final 18 holes on Tuesday starting at 8 a.m.
The tournament will be held at the Sewailo Golf Club (par-72, 6,627 yards).
The Lumberjacks placed fourth at Grand Canyon's tournament earlier this week in Phoenix, finishing at 28-over par 892 (298-296-298). NAU was 40 strokes better in its second tournament of the spring than the Lumberjacks' season-opening effort in Las Vegas two weeks ago.
The momentum comes at a good time considering the field that NAU will be a part of in Tucson. Hosted by No. 27 Arizona, the 16-team field will feature 12 top 80 nationally-ranked teams including No. 3 USC and No. 7 Oklahoma State.
With a team-best stroke average of 74.33, junior
Ashley Croft leads the Lumberjacks into the Arizona Wildcat Invitational. Croft tied for 22nd at the GCU Invitational at 7-over par 223 (73-75-75) following a team-best individual finish in a tie for 12th two weeks earlier at the Rebel Beach Invitational.
Earlier this week in Phoenix, junior
Aleksandra Chekalina and freshman
Ekaterina Malakhova tied for 12th and 19th respectively. Chekalina recorded 10 of her team-high 16 birdies on the season in the tournament on her way to a 4-over par 220 (71-73-76) performance.
Chekalina fired 1-under par 71 in the first round and Malakhova matched her for low round on the team through two tournaments in a strong third round performance. Malakhova's final round elevated her to a tie for 19th at 6-over par 222 (76-75-71).
Chekalina and Malakhova rank second and third respectively behind Croft in terms of scoring average at 75.67 and 76.00.
The three Lumberjacks will be joined in the lineup for the second tournament in a row by junior
Elle Kocourkova and graduate student
Klara Kucharova. Kocourkova and Kucharova have identical round averages of 78.33, and like Chekalina and Malakhova, the two 'Jacks from the Czech Republic showed massive improvement between the two tournaments.
Kocourkova tied for 34th at the GCU Invitational at 12-over par 228 (78-73-77) and Kucharova tied for 39th at 14-over par 230 (78-76-76).
After a year away from the Wildcat Invitational, NAU will be making its return with hopes of decidedly better results from its 17th place showing in 2019. Kocourkova, Croft and Chekalina all competed at the tourney with Kocourkova placing a team-best finish in a tie for 55th. Kocourkova shot 19-over par 235 (78-81-76).
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