Arkansas women’s golf reveals 2023-24 schedule

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas women’s golf’s 2023-24 schedule has been unveiled, as announced by 17-year coach Shauna Taylor on Thursday. The Hogs will play three fall tournaments, including hosting the Blessings Collegiate Invitational, as well as five spring events before postseason play.

“We are excited about our upcoming schedule and the opportunity it affords our team to compete at some of the best golf courses and fields in the country,” Taylor said.

Arkansas’ season will start the same way it did last year, as the Hogs will play in the Carmel Cup at the beautiful Pebble Beach Golf Links. Played at the site of the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open, the tournament will take place Sept. 1-3 in Pebble Beach, Calif.

The Arkansas men’s and women’s teams are set to host the fourth annual Blessings Collegiate invitational Presented by Tyson Foods, set for Oct. 2-4 at Blessings Golf Club. This tournament’s format will remain the same with each team playing in fivesomes across 54 holes of stroke play.

The 10 schools, both men’s and women’s programs, set to play in this year’s Blessings Collegiate are Clemson, Mississippi State, North Carolina State, Kentucky, Minnesota, North Texas, South Carolina and Washington. Coverage of each day of the tournament will be broadcast on the Golf Channel. The Hogs will look to win their third Blessings Collegiate Invitational title in the past four years after finishing third last season.

Closing out the fall season, Arkansas will play in the Jackson T. Stephens Cup from Oct. 9-11 at Trinity Forest Golf Club in Dallas. Arkansas has played in the annual tournament since its start three years ago. The teams will play 54 holes of stroke play on the first two days with the four highest placed teams moving on to the final day’s match play. The other teams in the women’s field includes Duke, South Carolina, Stanford, Texas, Texas A&M and 2023 NCAA Champion Wake Forest.

“Our fall schedule is the exact same as last year,” Taylor said. “We start at Pebble Beach, the host of the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open, and it’s a great place to showcase our team. We then turn to a home event with the Blessings Collegiate, which has become an exciting opportunity for the northwest Arkansas community and for Razorback Nation to watch the men’s and women’s golf programs compete on national television on our world-class golf course.

“We are only playing three events in the fall and will end with the Jackson T. Stephens Cup in Dallas. Our fall schedule will be a great test to see our team compete at the highest level.”

The spring slate will get rolling in the Island of Enchantment at the Puerto Rico Classic from Feb. 4-6. This tournament will be played at the Grande Reserve Golf Club in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico.

Arkansas will then play three staple tournaments with two week breaks in between. This stint starts at the Moon Golf Invitational on Feb. 18-20 at the Suntree Country Club in Melbourne, Fla. The Hogs’ appearance in the tournament is the fourth straight year, fifth overall. Arkansas is coming off a seventh-place showing last season with a 9-under 855 (285-284-286).= The Hogs will make another return to the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate from Monday, March 4-6 at Long Cove Golf Club in Hilton Head Island, S.C. The Hogs will play in the tournament for the 10th time in program history with its best team finish coming in 2018 with second place and Maria Fassi winning with a 3-under 210 (70-71-69).

For the third straight year, fourth overall, Arkansas is set to play at the MountainView Collegiate at the MountainView Golf Club in Tucson, Ariz., from March 15-17. Kajal Mistry won the event in 2022 with a 10-under 206 (68-67-71).

Arkansas will finish the regular season spring schedule at The Bruzzy, hosted by North Texas at the Dornick Hills Golf and Country Club in Ardmore from March 30-31. This will mark Arkansas’ first appearance in this tournament.

“As we head into the spring, we start in Puerto Rico and then head to many staple events that we have played in for several years,” Taylor said. “Moon Golf Invitational, the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate and the MountainView Collegiate will be great tests as we head to the last leg of our season. We have added The Bruzzy in south central Oklahoma to end our regular season spring schedule.”

The Southeastern Conference Championship will be played away from Birmingham for the first time since 2013, as the 2024 championships is set for April 1216 at the Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Fla. Postseason then continues on to NCAA Regionals to be played at host sites of Auburn, Washington, Texas A&M, Michigan State, Nevada-Las Vegas and Wake Forest from May 6-8. The top five teams from each region advance to the NCAA Championship that will take place May 17-22 at the Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, Calif. This year will mark the first of three NCAA Championships that will be played in southern California through 2026.

Arkansas is coming off its 20th straight NCAA Regional appearance, 21st overall. The Hogs bring back eight returners and two freshmen, as Taylor will look to guide the Hogs to their 12th NCAA Championship appearance, second SEC title and 30th tournament win.

“We did not lose anyone from last season and gain two great freshmen in Abbey Schutte and Maria Jose Marin,” Taylor said. “We have depth and a schedule that will prepare us for a deep run into the postseason.”