Women’s Golf Set for SEC Championships
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – A new season starts for the Arkansas women’s golf team, as the squad takes on the 2023 SEC Women’s Golf Championships. The league championship will tee off tomorrow, Wednesday, April 12, as all 14 schools will play in three rounds through Friday, April 14. For the 10th season, the SEC Championship will be held at Greystone Golf and Country Club at the Legacy Course in Hoover, Alabama.
Following three rounds of stroke play, the top eight teams will advance into the weekend for match play on Saturday, April 15. The championship match will take place on Sunday, April 16. The Razorbacks will tee off on Wednesday from hole 10 starting at 9:10 a.m. Thursday and Friday’s rounds will begin with an 8 a.m. shotgun start.
As always, the SEC continues to be one of the most competitive golf conferences in the country. Eight of the 14 teams sit in the Golfstat Top 25 with four of those in the top 10. Going into the week, Arkansas is No. 45 in Golfstat and No. 35, according to Golfweek.
Arkansas won its first SEC women’s golf title in 2018, while earning 13 top-5 finishes over the past 26 years. Last season, the Hogs finished 13th with a 35-over 899 (296-299-304), while Julia Gregg led the way in a tie for 24th with a 5-over 221 (68-75-78).
At the No. 1 spot, Miriam Ayora will occupy that position for the fourth time this season. The junior is pacing the team with a 72.61 scoring average, 10 rounds at par or under and three top-10 showings. Ayora is coming off a 5-over 149 at the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic, closing out her play with an eagle on hole 18. Her career best performance came recently at the MountainView Collegiate, where she fired a 7-under 209 (70-70-69) for 11th place, earning SEC Golfer of the Week. The weekly award was a first for Arkansas since 2019.
A staple to the lineup, Kajal Mistry will tee off in the No. 2 spot. Mistry holds a 73.22 stroke average with nine rounds at par or better and one top five finish. She is coming off having played in her 100th round, doing so at the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic, in which she logged a 6-over 150 in the shortened tournament. Her season’s best performance was at the Moon Golf Invitational, tallying an 8-under 208 (70-69-69) for a tie for fifth.
Freshman Reagan Zibilski is in the No. 3 spot for the Hogs. Zibilski has played in five tournaments in her first year, averaging a 74.57 with four rounds at par or better. One of her three top 20 finishes came in the Hogs’ last tournament at the Liz Murphey Collegiate, in which she led the squad with a 1-over 145 (72-73) to tie for 14th.
Fellow freshman Meghan Royal will play at No. 4 for her seventh tournament of the season, fourth time in the lineup. Royal is coming off a 9-over 153 (76-77) at the Liz Murphey Collegiate. Her best finish this season was at the MountainView Collegiate, firing away a 3-under 213 (74-69-70) for a tie for 22nd to earn SEC Freshman of the Week honors. She has logged six rounds at par or better this season, which is the third best on the team.
The veteran Gregg will be in the fifth spot. She has played in five tournaments in her senior season, highlighted by a tie for ninth at the Blessings Collegiate. Gregg is coming off a 9-over 153 (82-71) at the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic. She has a 75.14 scoring average this season.
Ela Anacona will be in the sixth spot as an alternate. Anacona has made three tournament appearances this season, coming off the MountainView Collegiate, where she had a 6-over 222 (72-75-75). She has a 74.22 scoring average this season.
Arkansas played in eight tournaments going into the SEC Championship, logging seven rounds at par or under, with the best showing coming at the Moon Golf Invitational, logging a 9-under 855 (285-284-286) for a tie for seventh.
ARKANSAS LINEUP
1. Miriam Ayora
2. Kajal Mistry
3. Reagan Zibilski
4. Meghan Royal
5. Julia Gregg
Alternate: Ela Anacona
COMPETING TEAMS (GOLFSTAT RANKINGS)
1. Alabama (51)
2. Arkansas (45)
3. Auburn (10)
4. Florida (20)
5. Georgia (29)
6. Kentucky (27)
7. LSU (3)
8. Ole Miss (14)
9. Mississippi State (5)
10. Missouri (84)
11. South Carolina (4)
12. Tennessee (42)
13. Texas A&M (13)
14. Vanderbilt (19)
COURSE
Greystone Golf and Country Club, Legacy Course – Hoover, Ala. – Par 72 – 6,301 yards
TEE TIMES (FROM 10)
9:10 a.m. – Julia Gregg
9:20 a.m. – Meghan Royal
9:30 a.m. – Reagan Zibilski
9:40 a.m. – Kajal Mistry
9:50 a.m. – Miriam Ayora
LIVE SCORING
UP NEXT
NCAA Women’s Golf Regionals will take place from Monday, May 8 to Wednesday, May 10. The location is to be determined based on Selection Day.
MORE INFORMATION
Keep up with all of the latest news and information and get behind the scenes looks into our program on our social media accounts. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @RazorbackWGolf and check out our Facebook page “Razorback Women’s Golf.” Stats, news and player information can be found at ArkansasRazorbacks.com.
