Nov. 2, 2008

GULF SHORES, Ala. - The Samford University women's golf team will square off against 13 top-flight opponents from across the nation this week as the Bulldogs play in the third-annual UAB Fall Beach Blast on Monday and Tuesday. The two-day competition will be held at The Peninsula Golf & Racquet Club.

The tournament will feature one round each day during the two-day event at the par 72, 5,995-yard course.

This year's event will feature 14 teams vying for the team title. Joining Samford will be Belmont, Cincinnati, Columbia, Indiana State, Jacksonville State, Lipscomb, Louisiana-Monroe, Marshall, Southern Miss, UT-San Antonio, Texas-Pan American, UAB and West Florida.

Last year, East Carolina won the tournament with a score of 589. Returning participants UT-San Antonio and Louisiana-Monroe took second and third place, respectively, with totals of 610 and 612.

This week's tournament will be Samford's final competition of the fall season. The Bulldogs have already played in four events this year and have recorded finishes of first, third, fourth and 17th. In its most recent competition, Samford posted a third-place finish at the 2008 Lady Colonel Collegiate.

Samford's 2008-09 roster is comprised of two seniors, three juniors and one freshman.

The Bulldogs will be led this season by seniors Kellie O'Connell and Maria Troche, as well as juniors Heather Arnold, Sara Hunt and Katelyn Stanier. Samford's lone underclassman on the roster this year is true freshman Sarah Butts. Butts is a native of Carrollton, Ga.

The Samford University women's golf team will begin play in the 2008 UAB Fall Beach Blast on Monday at The Peninsula Golf & Racquet Club in Gulf Shores, Ala. Admission to the event will be free to the public. The tournament will feature live scoring and can be followed on www.golfstat.com.