NORMAL, Ill. – With four tournaments in the fall – including a season-opening event at home – and six more tournaments in the spring, the Illinois State women’s golf team will compete in 10 total events for the 2022-23 season.
The season opens on September 11-12 with the 59th annual Redbird Invitational. Last season the Redbirds took eighth in the fall event and took first of nine schools at the spring event.
For the tenth time in the last dozen fall seasons the Redbirds will compete in the Johnie Imes Invitational, hosted by the Missouri Tigers. Last season the Redbirds tied for fifth out of 14 schools at the event, the team’s best finish since the 2009-10 season.
On October 8-9 the squad makes the short trip to Peoria to compete at the Coyote Creek Classic at Coyote Creek Golf Club, an event in which the ‘Birds finished third out of a dozen schools last fall.
The fall comes to a close for the ‘Birds at the Buccaneer Classic, hosted by Charleston Southern at Crowfield Golf Club in Charleston, SC The last time ISU has competed in a tournament in South Carolina was during the 2016-17 season when the Redbirds competed in the Palmetto Intercollegiate.
ISU opens the spring with the inaugural Falcon Florida Classic, hosted by Bowling Green at Lakewood Ranch Country Club in Lakewood Ranch, Florida. The event replaces – at the same site – the Mid-American Challenge which the Redbirds won last season.
The Redbirds follow with a trip to Rio Verde, Arizona on February 24-26 to compete in the Rio Verde Invitational for the eighth time in the last nine seasons. Last year the team took fourth out of 18 schools at the event, the team’s first top-10 finish at the event in program history.
March 13-14 sends ISU to Houston, Texas, to compete in the HBU Husky Invitational, the Redbirds’ first appearance at the event, and the second consecutive season ISU has traveled to Texas for a tournament after placing fourth at the UTRGV Women’s Invitational last season.
A week later the ‘Birds keep on the road with a second trip to Arizona to compete in the Red Rocks Invitational, hosted by Northern Arizona University on March 18-19. Played at Oakcreek Country Club, ISU placed fifth last season, carding a three-round team score of 887 – second lowest in program history.
An early April trip to Richmond, Kentucky on April 3-4 is the final pre-MVC tournament of the season at the Colonel Classic hosted by Eastern Kentucky University. The tournament is ISU’s first at an EKU-hosted event since the 2001-02 season, and the first time for a spring tournament since 1996-97.
On April 17-19 the Redbirds will look to defend their MVC title at the MVC Championships, at a course yet to be determined. Last season Illinois State snapped a 10-season stretch without a conference title when the squad held on late in the tournament to secure the win to earn a spot at the NCAA Regionals.
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