the Star-Tribune staff | Posted: Friday, April 6, 2007 12:00 am
The Wyoming women's golf team will host the inaugural Wyoming Cowgirl Classic at Chandler, Ariz., next Monday and Tuesday, April 9-10. The 54-hole event will take place at Ocotillo Golf Resort, with 36 holes played on the first day and 18 on the second.
"By hosting this event we are making a statement about the direction of Wyoming Cowgirl Golf," UW head coach Josey Stender said. "With a home event comes recognition and publicity, and due to the tremendous support from Ocotillo, Troon Golf and our Director of Golf Joe Jensen, we will host a tournament that is first class and one that shows off our Wyoming hospitality."
The tournament coincides with the fifth annual Wyoming Cowboy Classic, which is also April 9-10. The Cowboy Classic, presented by Cleveland Golf.
"We're already looking forward to growing the women's tournament and our men's event at Talking Stick is a great example of what we can look forward to," Stender said. "This year's field is mainly regional, but should prove to be competitive."
Nine teams will join Wyoming at the Cowgirl Classic. The list includes Idaho State, Montana, Montana State, Northern Colorado, North Dakota State, Northern Arizona, South Dakota State and the University of British Columbia.
Junior Laura Mengelkamp, coming off a top-five finish at the 2007 MSU Bobcat Desert Classic, leads the Cowgirls with a 77.28 stroke average.
Seniors Jeff Franks and Neil King hope to lead the Cowboys to continued success in their tournament.
Now in its fifth year, the Wyoming Cowboy Classic also features a 36-hole first day and an 18-hole second and takes place at the Talking Stick Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.
"It's unique that we host a home tournament in Arizona, but it's our home away from home and Talking Stick has provided a wonderful environment for this competition over the years," Jensen said. "This event has grown rapidly and there is a great amount of national interest."
The field boasts three individual players in the top 50 according to Golfstat and 23 teams, 12 more than the 11 that entered the inaugural event a few years ago.
The teams include 2006 runner-up Western Kentucky, 2005 champion UTEP, Air Force, Idaho, Kansas, Southern Utah, Utah, UC Santa Barbara and UC Davis, among others.
The Cowboys' highest finish came in 2005 when they took second place on the North Course, which has been the host course all five years.