THIS WEEK: The Cal State Fullerton women's golf team hits the links for the first time in 2015-16 at the stacked Dick McGuire Invitational hosted by the University of New Mexico.
THE COURSE: This week's event will be held at the 6,192-yard, par-73 UNM Championship Course. The Championship Course was the site of the 1976 and 1992 NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championships as well as the 1998 NCAA Championships. In 1987 and 2008, the course was the sight of the women's NCAA tourney. The first two rounds get underway Monday with a shotgun start scheduled for 6:30 a.m. PT with the final round slated to start at 7 a.m. PT on Tuesday.
THE FIELD: In addition to the Titans and host New Mexico, the Dick McGuire Invitational will feature UC Davis, Denver, Gonzaga, Iowa State, Miami, UNLV, Northwestern, Ohio State, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Oregon State, Pepperdine, San Diego State, Stanford, UTEP, and Washington State.
IN THE POLLS: This week's field features some of the top programs in the nation as 11 of the teams finished among the top 50 in the final 2014-15 GolfStat NCAA Head-to-Head rankings including defending NCAA Champions Stanford (No. 7). The rest include: Northwestern (No. 13), UC Davis (No. 16), Oklahoma State (No. 18), UNLV (No. 20), Oregon (No. 26), San Diego State (No. 28), Pepperdine (No. 30), Ohio State (No. 34), Iowa State (No. 36) and Miami (No. 40).
WATCH IT LIVE: Well… sort of. Live scoring will be available for all three rounds of the Dick McGuire Invitational at BirdieFire.com by clicking here. Complete results following each day's play and final results will be posted online at FullertonTitans.com.
EDBERG RETURNS AFTER MAKING HISTORY: Junior Martina Edberg led the Titans in scoring average for the second straight season in 2014-15. Edberg finished with a 74.44 average, setting the new program record for the second straight year. She became the first Titans golfer to be selected to participate in an NCAA Regional when she was selected as an individual at the South Bend Regional. She finished tied for 56th, shooting a 14-over 230. In her first two years at Fullerton, Edberg already holds the record for the lowest career scoring average (74.61), total rounds of par or better (20) and is tied for the lowest individual score at a 54-hole event (212).
THE RETURNERS: Along with Edberg, three other golfers return to the Titans for the 2015-16 season. Senior Dakota Brown played in five tournaments in 2014-15 and posted a 78.78 scoring average in 14 rounds, recording a 29th-place finish at the Rose City Collegiate. Brittany Farrell returns to the links after a solid freshman campaign with the Titans. The Dove Canyon, Calif.-native was second on the team last season with a 76.45 scoring average. She recorded her first and only top-10 finish of the year at The Gold Rush hosted by Long Beach State in February. Overall, she recorded three top-20 finishes last year. Rounding out the returners, Nadine Rivera enters her senior campaign with Fullerton after having the best season of her Titans career. Rivera finished with a 78.82 scoring average, the first time she finished the season with an average in the 70s in her Titans career. She also played in a career-high eight tournaments and 23 rounds, recording a career-best round of 70 and also finishing tied for 19th at the Delta Gamma Challenge, the best finish of her career.
FORE!... THE FIRST TIME: The Titans welcome four newcomers to the 2015-16 squad. Felicia Medalla, Ebba Nilsson, Brittney Sok and Pauline Welker.
