For the first time ever, the University of Toledo women's golf team will host a tournament at the Inverness Club when the Rockets welcome in a talented field for the Glass City Invitational on Monday and Tuesday.
It's the opening tournament of the 2019-20 season for second-year head coach Jenny Coluccio and a Toledo team that features a mix of three seniors and four freshmen.
Coluccio and the players are excited to host a tournament at such a storied golf course.
“We are thrilled for the opportunity,” Coluccio said. “To be out here at Inverness, the historic place that it is and as modern as it has become, is a major asset for our program. Then to be able to host, on top of it, is just the icing on the cake for us. We feel very fortunate and very welcome out here, which is another big plus. We're excited that the field for this tournament matches the level of play that the golf course can give us.”
“We are so excited,” UT senior Thunpijja Sukkasem added. “This course is not an open course, and we never have had a chance to have a tournament here. We are so thankful to host it here.”
The field will feature four top 25 teams – No. 8 Florida, No. 15 Northwestern, No. 16 Illinois, and No. 19 Michigan State and four other teams that made NCAA regionals last year – Ohio State, Baylor, Furman, and Texas A&M. Michigan, Coastal Carolina, South Florida, and Wisconsin round out the field.
“This might be one of the most challenging tournaments of the year for us,” Coluccio said. “I feel like that is important for our girls so they know what we are working towards. Being able to play alongside those players, for some of our freshmen, it's giving them this big opportunity at an early stage. So it helps accelerate their development as well.”
Freshman Kathryn Roth went to Notre Dame Academy and grew up knowing about the lore and prestige of Inverness.
“I am so excited,” Roth said. “Being from around here I know how prestigious Inverness is. So to have our first tournament here is just so amazing. I've heard a lot about it and played here a couple times for tournaments. It's such a fun course to play.”
Toledo is hoping the dynamic and contrast of having a team made up of seniors and freshmen will pay off this season
“It's definitely different having three seniors and then four freshmen,” Roth said. “It's really nice because they are helping us through the process because they have been there.”
Coluccio is hoping that this year will feature the right mix of experience and young talent.
“We know that this year is a learning and building year in a lot of ways,” Coluccio said. “They've really started to come together. There was a little trepidation with how it was going to fit together. They haven't really missed a beat. They've got to know each other and put the whole senior and freshmen thing aside and melded into one.”
Coluccio got a chance early last week to get out on the Inverness course and get a feel for the condition of the course.
“It's in fabulous shape,” Coluccio said. “It's really going to be a test of the weather. They can really do anything with this golf course, and I think they are looking to us as to whether we want to make it really challenging. We want to make it a mixture because that's really going to highlight the talent level of the field.”
First Published September 15, 2019, 10:14 p.m.
