Bradley University Athletics

Women’s Golf Opens 2020-21 Season At First Coast Classic

Duane Zehr, Bradley University ITPS

Live Scoring

Women's Golf 2/14/2021 11:00:00 AM

PEORIA, Ill – After an 11-month layoff, Bradley Women's Golf will get back into the swing of things by opening an abbreviated 2020-21 schedule this week in Jacksonville, Fla., at the First Coast Classic.

Bradley, which is making its first trip to the state of Florida since the Babs Steffens Hatter Collegiate in March 2019, is one of 12 teams in the field for the First Coast Classic held at the par-72 Deerwood Country Club.

The 54-hole First Coast Classic gets underway Monday morning with an 7:15 a.m. (CST) shotgun start for the opening two rounds and wraps up with a single round Tuesday that will have a 7:30 a.m. (CST) shotgun start.

Joining Bradley in the tournament will be Arkansas State, Cincinnati, Daytona State, Florida International, Georgia Southern, South Alabama, Stetson, UAB and Western Kentucky along with tournament-host North Florida.

The Braves return to action after the 2019-20 campaign came to an abrupt end following an eighth-place finish at the River Landing Classic in Wallace, N.C., last March.

Bradley adds a trio of international newcomers in 2020-21 to a group of six returners from last season, but will feature a lineup made up of returning letterwinners in the season opener.

One of the most decorated players in program history, senior Taylor Ledwein returns this spring after posting a 72.82 stroke average in her 11 rounds last year. Ledwein starts the season second in Bradley history with a 75.58 career stroke average. During Bradley's last trip to Florida, Ledwein earned the lone medalist title of her career; taking the top spot at the Babs Steffens Hatter Collegiate.

Sophomore Megan Welch posted a 75.44 stroke average in Bradley's final three outings of 2019-20 and tied for ninth at the Rio Verde Invitational last February for her first career top-10 finish.

Junior Maddie Hawkins was second in stroke average on the team last year (77.24) and was 11^th in the MVC in last season's Golfstat.com rankings. Hawkins posted her first career top-10 finish in Bradley's last trip to Florida back in 2018-19.

Rounding out the lineup at the season opener for the Braves are sophomore Sarah Nacos and freshman Mara Flaherty. Flaherty was one of two Braves to play in all seven events last year and closed the year with the seventh-best freshman stroke average (78.05) in program history. Nacos saw action in four of seven events last year, finishing the year with a 79.92 average

Bradley will have a healthy break after opening the season in Florida with the Braves currently scheduled to return to action March 29 & 30 at the Diane Daugherty Invitational in Kirkwood, Mo.

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