University of Houston Athletics
PREVIEW – Houston Set for NCAA Auburn Regional
5/4/2019 10:55:00 AM | Women's Golf
Cougars make fifth straight appearance in NCAA postseason on Monday morning
| Live Scoring | Golfstat |
| Lineup | Leonie Harm Hannah Screen Maria Jose Martinez Amanda Elich Maddy Rayner |
| Time | Monday, May 6 • 18 Holes 8 a.m., split-tee start First-Round Pairings Tuesday, May 7 • 18 Holes Wednesday, May 8 • 18 Holes |
| Location | Saugahatchee Country Club Opelika, Ala. 6,371 yards • par 72 |
HOUSTON – For the fifth straight season, the University of Houston Women's Golf program will compete in NCAA postseason when it tees off at the NCAA Auburn Regional on Monday morning.
The three-day, 54-hole tournament begins at 8 a.m., Monday, on the 6,371-yard, par-72 course at Opelika, Ala.
The Houston will compete against No. 1 seed Duke, No. 2 seed Vanderbilt, No. 3 seed Florida State, No. 4 seed Auburn, No. 5 seed Virginia, No. 6 seed Furman, No. 7 seed Clemson, No. 9 seed Kennesaw State, No. 10 seed Alabama, No. 11 seed Tennessee, No. 12 seed California, No. 13 seed Maryland, No. 14 seed ECU, No. 15 seed Denver, No. 16 seed South Alabama, No. 17 seed Albany and No. 18 seed Murray State.
The NCAA Auburn Regional is one of four Regional sites across the nation, hosting a 72 total teams. The top-6 teams and top-3 individuals not on a qualifying team advance to the NCAA Championships, set for May 17-22 at The Blessings Golf Club in Fayetteville, Ark.
LIVE SCORING
Fans can follow live scoring from the NCAA Auburn Regional by clicking here.
THE LINEUP
Competing for fifth-year Head Coach Gerrod Chadwell, seniors Leonie Harm and Maddy Rayner, junior Amanda Elich and freshmen Hannah Screen and Maria Jose Martinez will don the Scarlet and White for the Cougars next week.
The two-time American Athletic Conference Player of the Year, Harm leads the Cougars with a 72.00 scoring average, 15 rounds of par or better and nine Top-10 finishes in tournaments this season.
She was one of 72 players invited to compete at the Augusta Women's National Amateur in early April and currently stands at No. 17 in the latest Golfstat national individual rankings.
Screen ranks second on the team with a 72.82 average and 12 rounds of par or better. She was the only Cougar to compete in all 10 team-scoring tournaments this season and earned a place on the All-American Athletic Conference Team after tying for sixth at the league's Championships in late April.
Martinez joined Screen in the tie for sixth at the Championships and on the All-American Athletic Conference squad for her first postseason honor.
Rayner tied for third at The American Championships with a score of 4-under 212, including a career-low 68 in the Second Round, and earned her first postseason honor following that performance.
Elich enjoyed a pair of Top-11 finishes in 2018-19, including a career-best third-place showing at the Allstate Sugar Bowl Intercollegiate Championship to open the spring season in February.
FIRST-ROUND PAIRINGS
Monday's First Round tees off at 8 a.m., with split-tee starts. The Cougars will compete in groups with student-athletes from Clemson and Kennesaw State.
Rayner begins the First Round at 8:50 a.m., off No. 1 with Elich (9 a.m.), Martinez (9:10 a.m.), Screen (9:20 a.m.) and Harm (9:30 a.m.) following.
Complete First-Round pairings can be found by clicking here.
ABOUT the COUGARS
Under Chadwell's leadership, the Cougars will make their fifth consecutive NCAA Regional appearance. Houston is one of only 27 schools to compete in each of the last four NCAA Regionals but easily the youngest program in that group.
The Cougars earned their latest ticket to the NCAA postseason after winning the American Athletic Conference Championships by 30 strokes on April 16 on the Conservatory Course at Hammock Beach Golf Club. It was the program's third American title in the last four years, making Houston the first team in league history with back-to-back championships.
NCAA REGIONAL HISTORY
Houston has qualified for NCAA Regional play as a team every season in which the team was eligible. The program started in 2013-14 with four student-athletes competing as individuals at tournaments but was not allowed to compete as a team that year, per NCAA rules.
This is the second-highest seeding the Cougars received in NCAA Regional play. Houston competed as the No. 7 seed at the 2018 NCAA Austin Regional.
Harm will be competing in her fourth straight NCAA Regional, joining Megan Thothong as the only Cougars to accomplish that feat. A year ago, she fired a Final-Round 65 at the Austin Regional to force a playoff and won on the seventh hole to advance to the NCAA Championships as an individual qualifier for the second time in her career.
Elich will compete in the second Regional of her career, becoming the eighth player in school history to play in multiple NCAA postseason events.
Rayner, Martinez and Screen will make their NCAA postseason debuts next week.
JOIN the P.A.R. 4 CLUB
Fans are invited to join The P.A.R. 4 Club to support Houston Women's Golf. P.A.R. 4 Club members provide financial support directly to Houston Women's Golf for needs beyond the program's operating budget.
Fans who join the P.A.R. 4 Club can begin receiving benefits for as little as $100 annually.
To join the P.A.R. 4 Club, fans can call 713-743-9417 or email gchadwel@central.uh.edu. For more information about the P.A.R. 4 Club, levels of giving and benefits, fans can click here.
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarWGolf on Twitter and catch up with the latest news and notes on the team by clicking LIKE on the team's Facebook page at UHCougarWGolf or on the team's Instagram page at UHCougarWGolf.
Players Mentioned
