PREVIEW: Women’s Golf Opens NCAA Auburn Regional on Monday

AUBURN, Ala. – The University of Houston Women's Golf program begins the NCAA postseason when it tees off at the NCAA Auburn Regional at Auburn University Club on Monday morning.

Schools will play 18 holes beginning at 8 a.m., each day. The Top-Five teams and top individual not on an advancing team advance to the NCAA Championships.

LIVE SCORING
Fans can follow live scoring at the NCAA Auburn Regional on Golfstat by clicking here.

MEET the COUGARS
Under the direction of Carolyn Macow Leatherwood Head Coach Lydia Gumm, the Cougars will be represented by sophomore Moa Svedenskiold, senior Nicole Abelar, sophomore Alexa Saldana, junior Hyeonji Kang and freshman Maelynn Kim.

This season, Svedenskiold leads the Cougars with a 71.44 scoring average and 18 rounds of par or better. The Halmstad, Sweden, native posted Top-20 finishes in each of the first four tournaments of the season with an 11^th-place finish at the MountainView Collegiate on March 15-17.

Abelar has competed in all 10 tournaments this season, earning four Top-20 finishes. She fired three straight sub-par-rounds to help lead the Cougars to the Sam Golden Invitational team championship and a second-place individual finish and tied for 13^th at the Cougars' own The Chevon Collegiate on Feb. 26-27.

Saldana stands second among the Cougars with a 72.44 average and has posted 14 rounds of par or better. The Mexico City native started her year with three straight Top-20 finishes with a career-best 66 in the Final Round of the Sam Golden Invitational on Sept. 12, 2023.

Lineup, NCAA Auburn Regional

Kang is in her first season with the Cougars after transferring from Hawai'i last summer. She has enjoyed Top-25 showings in six of her last seven tournaments with a 14^th-place finish at The Show at Spanish Trail Country Club in Las Vegas on March 4-5.

The Jeju, South Korea, native set a school record with a bogey-free 64 in the First Round of The Chevron Collegiate at Golf Club of Houston in Humble, Texas, on Feb. 26-27.

In her first collegiate season, Kim has posted a 72.58 average with 12 rounds of par or better. The Katy, Texas, native has earned four Top-20 finishes with a ninth-place showing at the Jim West Challenge on Oct. 22-23, 2023.

TEAM FIELD
Houston will compete in a 12-team field featuring No. 1 seed South Carolina, host and No. 2 Auburn, No. 3 Oregon, No. 4 Georgia, No. 5 North Carolina, No. 6 Michigan, No. 8 Tulsa, No. 9 Miami (Fla.), No. 10 Kennesaw State, No. 11 East Tennessee State and No. 12 Albany.

Furman teammates Anna Morgan and Audrey Ryu, Isabella McCauley (Minnesota), Lauren Thompson (Lipscomb), Gabi Nicastro (Samford) and Victoria Hund (Charleston) will compete as individuals.

TEE TIMES
For Monday's First Round, Houston will compete in groups with student-athletes from Tulsa and Miami (Fla.).

The Cougars will tee off No. 1 at 8:55 a.m., Monday with Kim starting and Kang (9:06 a.m.), Saldana (9:17 a.m.), Abelar (9:28 a.m.) and Svedenskiold (9:39 a.m.) following.

Tee times and starting holes for the final two rounds will be determined by the team standings after each day. Fans can find complete tee times and pairings on GolfStat by clicking here.

NCAA REGIONAL HISTORY
This will be the eighth NCAA Regional appearance in the young history of Houston Women's Golf. It also marks the ninth straight season Houston will be represented in the NCAA postseason after Annie Kim competed as an individual at the 2022 NCAA Franklin Regional.

A year ago, the Cougars finished eighth at the NCAA Pullman Regional at Palouse Ridge Golf Club in Pullman, Wash.

This marks the second straight year Houston has competed as a No, 7 seed at an NCAA Regional, tying with the 2017-18 team for the highest seeding in school history.

Abelar will compete in the third NCAA Regional of her career with the last two coming with the Cougars. Saldana and Svedenskiold will tee off in their second NCAA Regionals while Kang and Kim will make their NCAA debuts.

UP NEXT
The top five teams and top individual not on an advancing team at each NCAA Regional site advance to the NCAA Championships set for May 17-22 at Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, Calif.

SUPPORT YOUR COOGS
Fans can make a direct impact on the success of Houston Women's Golf by supporting Linking Coogs – UH's NIL collective – and by joining the P.A.R. 4 Club, which provides financial support directly to Houston Women's Golf for needs beyond its operating budget.

STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive updates by following @UHCougarWGolf on X (formerly known as 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.

– UHCougars.com –

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