FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. (April 16, 2022) – After nine regular season tournaments over the last seven months, the Northern Arizona golf team has arrived at the Big Sky Championship, which starts Monday in Scottsdale at Talking Stick Golf Club (par-72, 6,277 yards). The 2022 Big Sky Championship will consist of three rounds, one each on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday with the winner advancing to the NCAA Regional.
"We're going to put our best foot forward," said head coach
Brad Bedortha. "Sac State is going to be the clear-cut favorite, but we're pretty good. I am comfortable and confident in our players that if we go out and perform, we'll get up there in the top two. At the end of the day, we still have to go out and perform and we have no idea how the other schools will perform."
Next week's conference championship will be the first competed in the state of Arizona since 2015, which coincidentally is the Lumberjacks' most recent title. The Big Sky Women's Golf Championship was held in Arizona every year from 2003-15 between Goodyear (2003-07), Phoenix (2008) and Chandler (2009-15).
However, the Lumberjacks will play at Talking Stick Golf Club for the first time, leaving Sunday's practice round as a critical day to see the course.
"We're going to a golf course that we've never played," Bedortha said. "Similar to last week in Estrella Valley, we had never played that (course). So we've got to learn the golf course in one day, but it'll be desert golf which we've seen quite a bit."
The 'Jacks will make their south on I-17 for the third consecutive week having played in Maricopa and Goodyear the last two weeks to conclude the regular season. After placing 13th at the Wyoming Cowgirl Classic, NAU bounced back in a big way placing second at the Bobcat Desert Classic earlier this week.
That wrapped up a successful regular season in which the Lumberjacks placed in the top five in three tournaments (Fourth at Aggie Invitational, Second at Red Rocks Invitational, Second at Bobcat Desert Classic). The last time NAU recorded as many top five finishes prior to the conference championship also happens to be their 2014-15 Big Sky title campaign.
At last season's conference tournament, NAU earned a runner-up finish, eight strokes behind defending champion Sacramento State, at 45-over par 909 (296-309-304). The finish was the Lumberjacks' best since winning it all seven years ago. The Lumberjacks held the lead at the end of the first round before the Hornets claimed a three-stroke advantage going into the third round.
NAU went into the final turn trailing by six strokes and made up ground as the Lumberjacks trailed by just one stroke going into the final three holes, but could not completely overcome the gap.
A year later, led by sophomore
Ekaterina Malakhova and senior
Elle Kocourkova at the top of the lineup, NAU will aim to snap its championship drought by securing its Big Sky leading ninth all-time title.
Malakhova and Kocourkova are first and second on the team respectively in scoring average this season at 74.58 and 74.88. The two golfers also lead the team in par or better rounds with Malakhova's eight pacing Kocourkova's six. As expected, the duo also have the most birdies on the team with Malakhova and Kocourkova at 66 and 63 respectively.
Malakhova starred in her first career Big Sky Championship last season, tying for second at 7-over par 223 (74-72-77). She earned All-Tournament honors and earned the program's best individual conference finish in four years. Meanwhile, Kocourkova has tied for 21st in both of her career championship appearances, including last season at 18-over par 234 (75-79-80).
Senior
Aleksandra Chekalina and junior
Lorel Hayward will occupy the Lumberjacks' No. 3 and 4 spots in the lineup, having also been part of NAU's championship lineup last year. Chekalina placed 16th at 13-over par 229 (74-80-75), and also tied for fifth as a true freshman in 2019 at the conference championship. Hayward shot 25-over par 241 (80-82-79) and tied for 32nd.
This season, Chekalina is averaging 76.58 per round, while Hayward is at 77.63. Over the last two weeks though, both golfers have been slightly better than their season averages with Chekalina at 76.00 and Hayward at 77.17.
Rounding out NAU's lineup is senior
Ashley Croft, who missed last year's championship. Croft's stroke average this season is at 77.00 and will be competing at the Big Sky Championship for the first time since her freshman year in 2019.
The Lumberjacks will be in the final set of tee times on Monday, paired with Idaho State and Northern Colorado in the first round. Croft will be the first golfer to tee off at 9:30 a.m. followed by Hayward, Chekalina, Kocourkova and Malakhova in 10-minute increments.
The second and third rounds will then receive their tee times based on the leaderboard at the conclusion of the previous day's round.
"This is what you play all year for and this is what all the marbles are about," Bedortha said. "If the team plays well, we'll go to regionals. If one of them plays well individually and wins, they'll go to regionals. There's more on the line and there's a different vibe, and we'll be ready."
Spectators will be allowed to walk the course at Talking Stick Golf Club for the championship. Live scoring for the 2022 Big Sky Championship will be available on
Golfstat.
To stay up to date with the NAU golf team, follow the Lumberjacks on
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