2017-18 SCHEDULE

By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer

TAMPA, JULY 14, 2017 – USF women's golf will have a chance to skyrocket up the national rankings during 2017-18.

Head coach Tiffany Prats has announced the schedule for the upcoming season that features constant tests against top national programs during 11 regular season tournaments.

"This schedule is going to allow our ranking to improve drastically," Prats said. "If we just go compete every week, we're going to see ourselves hopefully get inside that top 58 mark, where we want to be to get into the postseason. We've built the schedule to do that."

USF will host two regular season tournaments for the first time since 2011-12, starting with the USF Intercollegiate Oct. 30-31 at TPC Tampa Bay. The Bulls will begin its spring schedule Jan. 29 with the Florida Challenge, which takes place for the fifth consecutive year at Black Diamond Ranch in Lecanto. The field for the USF Intercollegiate is still being finalized. The Florida Challenge field will include Florida, Florida State, Miami, UCF, FIU and Jacksonville.

"We're going to try to make it a great fan experience, where we can have our boosters out there and allow them to see what women's college golf is all about," Prats said. "It's a good opportunity to build our fan base on campus and beyond."

USF will compete in four tournaments during the fall, starting with the William & Mary Intercollegiate Sept. 9-11 at Kingsmill Resort, an LPGA Tour location in Williamsburg, Va. Prats' Bulls will finish up the first month of the season at the Nittany Lion Invitational Sept. 23-24 in University Park, Pa.

"Our fall schedule is going to be a good opportunity for our team," Prats said. "We're going to have five or six new kids, so I think it's really important to go out and really compete right away."

Prior to the USF Intercollegiate (Oct. 30-31), the Bulls will take part in FIU's Pat Bradley Invitational at Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club.

The top programs in the state will compete for a title when host USF gets the spring season underway at the Florida Challenge, which features 36 holes on Jan. 29 at Black Diamond Ranch. Prats' lineup will then have weeks to prepare for the Louisville Invitational, which takes place Feb. 19-20 at Duran Golf Club in Melbourne, Fla.

"This spring schedule is probably one of the best we're going to see in a long time," Prats said. "We're going to compete against the best of the best every week and really get our games ready for postseason."

Prats, a former standout golfer at Miami, will take the Bulls back to Coral Gables for the Hurricane Invitational March 5-7 at Biltmore Golf Course. USF will see more in-state competition at the SunTrust Gator Women's Invitational March 10-11 in Gainesville.

USF will leave the state for the first time in the spring to participate in College of Charleston's Briar's Creek Invitational, one of the top events in women's college golf, March 19-20 in John's Island, S.C. The Bulls wrap up their busy week March 23-25 at the LSU Tiger Classic in Baton Rouge, La.
 
USF will tune up for the conference tournament while facing some league competition at Tulsa's Dale McNamara Invitational April 9-10. The American Athletic Conference Championship is set for April 15-17 at Hammock Dunes Club in Palm Coast, Fla.

"I don't think this schedule is anything these girls can't handle," Prats said. "We're really excited for it."
 
About USF Women's Golf
USF women's golf completed its first season under the guidance of head coach Tiffany Prats in 2016-17. USF posted its first tournament victory since 2012 at the Hoya Invitational and collected seven top-10 finishes in 10 events. For the latest information on USF women's golf, follow the team on Twitter @USFWGolf and Facebook.