Women's golf to play in its only home tournament next week

The women's golf team will host its annual Spider Fall Invitational at Independence Golf Club in Midlothian, Va., during fall break on Oct. 13 and 14.

The team, which has already played three tournaments this semester, will be competing against 13 other teams including Longwood, Old Dominion and Towson universities, the University of Maryland and the College of William & Mary.

During the past three years, the invitational has grown in size and competitiveness and will be one of the Spiders' tougher tournaments this season, coach Leighann Albaugh wrote in an e-mail.

Because the Spiders will be hosting the tournament, Albaugh will be less available for coaching during the tournament, she said. Planning for the tournament began a year ago, and she'll be responsible for coordinating the entire event. Though she will be busy hosting the tournament, Albaugh said the team could do well.

"My expectations would be that they stick to their process goals," she said. "Control the controlables. If they stay positive and stick to that plan, they will see success on the scoreboard."

Independence Golf Club, the course where the invitational will be held, is a wide-open course that has large greens, said LaRee Sugg, an assistant director of athletics and former women's golf coach. "The key to playing well there is to really be sharp on iron shots and be putting really well," Sugg said.

Albaugh also noted that Independence's course is Bermuda grass whereas two of the three courses they've competed on so far have been bent grass.

Independence Golf Club is a great venue, Sugg said. The course is usually in fair condition and it has a beautiful clubhouse.

The club is home to the Virginia State Golf Association, which means it is also home to the Harry W. Easterly Museum of Virginia Golf History with memorabilia from some of Virginia's top golfers.

In an effort to reach the community, Independence also hosts camps during the year at affordable prices, Sugg said, because the club tries to make golf accessible to all children.

This will be the tournament's third year, Albaugh said. Before that, the team hosted tournaments at various courses in the area, including Lake Chesdin Landing in Chesterfield, Va., The Crossings in Glen Allen, Va., and once at The Legacy Golf Club in Bradenton, Fla., Sugg said.

In its most recent tournament, the Yale Women's Fall Intercollegiate, the team placed ninth, as did junior captain Lauren Folgosa. The tournament was scheduled for Sept. 27 and 28, but rain caused officials to cancel Saturday's portion. The Spiders placed ninth after just one round of 18 holes on Sunday.

Before competing at Yale, the Spiders also finished 22nd at the College of Charleston Cougar Classic where they faced their toughest competition, and second at the Towson Invitational, where sophomore Christina Gray shot a 69 -- one under par and the lowest score in school history.

Contact staff writer Jacki Raithel at jacki.raithel@richmond.edu.