ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFKnights.com) - The Knights begin the fall portion of the 2016-17 season Friday, when they tee off in the Mason Rudolph Championship hosted by Vanderbilt.
UCF Head Coach Emily Marron says it is always exciting to get back on the course for the first event of the year and see how the team performs.
"We have two new players in the lineup and three seniors that will provide leadership and consistency," Marron said. "The Mason Rudolph is a great test and will give us a good idea of where we stand against some of the best teams in the country."
UCF returns seniors Ashley Holder, Ayaka Nakayama and Johanna Larsson to anchor the starting lineup and adds junior transfer Kaeli Jones from South Alabama and freshman Maria Balcazar to the mix.
Holder was ranked No. 30 on Golfweek writer Lance Ringler's Preseason Top 30 players in the nation while Blacazar was mentioned by Golfweek's Kevin Casey in his preseason ranking of top freshman in women's collegiate golf.
Meanwhile, Jones is fresh off a win, taking medalist honors at the Florida State Golf Association (FSGA) Womens Amateur Stroke Play Championship in July and Nakayama recently advanced to Stage II of the LPGA Qualifying School.
The Knights will face a talented field that includes the likes of Alabama, Northwestern and Virginia who finished last season No. 3, No. 6 and No.14 respectively according to Golfstat.com rankings.
The Mason Rudolph Championship is slated for September 16-18 at the Vanderbilt Legends Club with the Knights scheduled to tee off at 8:45 a.m. Friday. Click here to follow the action via live scoring.