AU women open fall golf season in Badger Invitational
By Lydia Williams | Sports writer
The Augusta University women’s golf team, coming off its first-ever visit to the NCAA Division I nationals, will open its 2023-24 campaign in Madison, Wis., in the Badger Invitational this weekend.
The Jaguars are set to compete at the University of Wisconsin’s home venue at University Ridge Golf Course, a Robert Trent Jones Jr. design. It is a par-72, 6,248-yard layout in suburban Madison.
This tournament spans three days and historically welcomes about 15 teams to compete 18 holes per day. Play opens on Sunday, Sept. 17.
The Jags are competing against some of the country's best programs, including several Big Ten teams (Indiana, Iowa, Rutgers and host Wisconsin).
“This should be a good opportunity to see where we are at,” said AU women’s golf coach Caroline Haase-Hegg.
The players set to compete in Madison include Napabhach Boon-in, Kennedy Carroll, Victoria Zheng, Ariana Carvalho and Kiera Gonzalez.
“We are obviously coming off of a very successful season, with our national championship appearance last spring, but this is a new group and we have to go assert ourselves and make a statement,” said Haase-Hegg.
The AU women have played very well during qualifying in the past few weeks, according to Haase-Hegg, playing almost 20 under-par rounds in nine rounds of qualifying. The Jaguars have played at Forest Hills, West Lake and Mount Vintage in preparation for the season-opening tournament in Wisconsin.
Napabhach Boon-in, a senior, is playing in the Badger Invitational. She had a tremendous season last year, making the 2023 Southland All-Conference second team.
“Napa is an incredibly strong player. She has as much game as anybody, averaging a half stroke under par through 6 rounds of qualifying. She's a really well rounded player top to bottom,” said Haase-Hegg.
The Jaguars will compete 54 holes this weekend. The weather will have a hint of fall in the air with highs each day in Madison supposed to be in the mid-70s.
Contact Lydia Williams at lwilliams23@augusta.edu.
Kennedy Carroll, teeing off, will join teammates Napabhach Boon-in, Victoria Zheng, Ariana Carvalho and Kiera Gonzalez at the Badger Invitational starting Sunday in Madison, Wis. (file photo) At the top of the page, AU Coach Caroline Haase-Hegg is coming off the program’s first-ever trip to the NCAA Division I nationals. (photo by Lydia Williams)
