Women’s Golf Set For Diane Daugherty Invitational

Live Scoring

Women's Golf 3/26/2021 1:08:00 PM

PEORIA, Ill. -- Two weeks removed from facing Missouri Valley Conference rival Southern Illinois in a dual, Bradley Women's Golf will play in a tournament hosted by the Salukis with the Braves venturing to Kirkwood, Mo., for the Diane Daugherty Invitational Monday and Tuesday.

The Diane Daugherty Invitational marks the halfway point of the 2020-21 schedule for Bradley, which will play in three tournaments over a 23-day stretch culminating with the Missouri Valley Conference Championship April 19 & 20 in St. Charles, Mo.

Play at the par-71 Greenbriar Hills Country Club gets underway Monday with an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start to the opening two rounds of the 54-hole tournament, while Tuesday's final round will tee off at 9 a.m. BradleyBraves.com will provide links to the Golfstat.com live scoring for all three rounds.

The Diane Daugherty Invitational should be a good barometer for the upcoming MVC Championship with nine of the 10 Valley teams helping make up the 16-team field. Valley rivals Drake, Illinois State, Indiana State, Loyola, Missouri State, Southern Illinois, Northern Iowa and Valparaiso help make up a field that includes former MVC member Creighton along with Arkansas State, Central Michigan, Lindenwood, Lipscomb, Omaha and South Dakota.

Bradley was scheduled to play in last year's Diane Daugherty Invitational last April, before the abrupt end to the 2019-20 season in mid-March. Last year's event was slated to be held in St. Charles, Mo., at Bogey Hills Country Club, which will serve as the site for this year's MVC Championship in a few weeks.

Senior Taylor Ledwein paced the Braves in the dual against Southern Illinois two weeks ago, firing a pair of 74's two finish two back of medalist Emilyee McGiles. Ledwein, who owns a 78.00 stroke average on the year, enters the Diane Daugherty Invite with 93 career sub-80 rounds to rank third in school history. She is one back of former teammate Ally Scaccia for second in school history in rounds in the 70's or better (94) and Ledwein is closing in on becoming the sixth Brave to play in at least 110 career rounds, having played 105 rounds during her time on The Hilltop.

Maddie Hawkins is coming off her lowest round of the season and matched her lowest round of the 2019-20 campaign with a final round 73 against Southern Illinois back on March 14. She has posted a 76.75 stroke average over her last four rounds, nearly a half stroke better than her season average last year.

Sophomore Megan Welch is coming off a strong performance against SIU as well, carding a season-best 73 in the opening round against the Salukis. Welch has posted a 77.00 stroke average over her last 14 rounds.

Elyse Emerzian made her season debut in the dual against SIU and owns a team-best 75.5 stroke average on the young season.

The only player to appear in every tournament for the Braves in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, Mara Flaherty rounds out the Bradley lineup. Flaherty's season stroke average of 77.60 is nearly a half stroke better than her scoring average from 2019-20 and she joins Ledwein as the only Bradley individuals to have two or more rounds of 75 or better this year.

Freshman Vaijayanti Bharkhada will play as an individual after making her Bradley debut against Southern Illinois, where she wrapped up the two-day event with a final round 78.

Bradley follows up the Diane Daugherty Invitational with its final tune-up before the MVC Championship, with the Braves heading to Murray, Ky., April 9 & 10 for the Jan Weaver Invitational.

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