GolfChannel.com previews the 2019 spring season in women’s college golf, from teams and players to watch to picks to win. Here we dive into the SEC:
SEC
Championship info: April 17-21, Greystone Golf and Country Club (Legacy), Birmingham, Ala.
Recent champions: Arkansas (2018), Florida (2017), Alabama (2016), Texas A&M (2015), Vanderbilt (2014)
Team rankings: Florida (3), Alabama (5), Vanderbilt (6), Arkansas (7), Auburn (11), South Carolina (17), Tennessee (34), Georgia (41), Ole Miss (44), Missouri (51), Mississippi State (55), LSU (57), Texas A&M (65), Kentucky (66)
Midseason All-Conference Team: Dylan Kim, Sr., Arkansas (2); Jiwon Jeon, Jr., Alabama (8); Abbey Carlson, Jr., Vanderbilt (15); Kaleigh Telfer, Soph., Auburn (18); Leonie Bettel, Sr., Kentucky (20)
What to watch: At the beginning of the fall, Alabama was the clear favorite to win the SEC. However, the departures of Kristen Gillman and Lauren Stephenson to the LPGA will sting heavily. Jiwon Jeon, Angelica Moresco and Kenzie Wright give Mic Potter’s team a solid top 3, but there are huge questions beyond that. After winning the premier event of the fall, the ANNIKA Intercollegiate, and then breaking the NCAA record for 54 holes at the Schooner Fall Classic, Alabama was sixth at Texas’ event and then third at the East Lake Cup. … Florida finished the fall as the SEC’s top-ranked team behind junior Sierra Brooks and freshman Clara Manzalini, but the Gators aren’t the only team capable of winning a conference title this spring. … Vanderbilt has some nice depth, spearheaded by junior Abbey Carlson and freshmen Auston Kim and Annie Kim (no relation). … Arkansas boasts one of the best one-two punches in the country in seniors Maria Fassi and Dylan Kim. … Auburn capped the fall with a win at the Battle at the Beach, where Kaleigh Telfer shared medalist honors. … South Carolina has an outside chance, as well, but the Gamecocks need more consistency behind Lois Kaye Go and Emily Price. … The eight other SEC teams are all ranked 66th or better and have chances to make regionals this spring, including Texas A&M under first-year head coach Andrea Gaston, who moved over from USC last summer.
Pick to win: Arkansas