Chambana Sun

Fighting Illini women's golf team is set to commence their spring season at the Spartan Suncoast Collegiate Invitational. The tournament, hosted by Michigan State, will take place at the Palm Aire Country Club in Sarasota, Florida, from February 16 to February 17.

The Palm Aire Country Club is a private club established in 1957. It features the Champions Course, originally named "Desoto Lakes," designed by Dick Wilson and later redesigned by Mike Benkusky in 2021. The club also includes the Lakes Course, completed in 1981 and designed by Joe Lee.

The competition will follow a three-day format starting with a shotgun start on Saturday at 7:15 a.m. CT for 36 holes of continuous play. The final round on Monday will also begin with a shotgun start at the same time and conclude with an awards ceremony. The event covers 54 holes set up for par 72 over a distance of 6,191 yards.

The field comprises Illinois and fourteen other teams: College of Charleston, FIU, Georgia Southern, Grand Valley State, Kent State, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Purdue.

Illinois' lineup includes Yurang Li as No.1 followed by Victoria Zheng (No.2), Brielle Mapanao (No.3), Lexanne Halama (No.4), and Anna Ritter (No.5). This marks Illinois' debut appearance at this particular invitational.

Live scoring for the event can be accessed via Golfstat.com with daily recaps available on FightingIllini.com after each day of play concludes.

Following this tournament in Sarasota, the Illini are scheduled to compete next at The Chevron Collegiate held at the Golf Club of Houston in Humble Texas beginning February 24.