USC Upstate Women's Golf Selected for Golfweek's National Golf Invitational
By USC Upstate Athletics
SPARTANBURG, S.C. —The USC Upstate women's golf program has achieved a monumental milestone by securing a postseason bid to the Golfweek's National Golf Invitational (NGI). This is the program's first postseason bid.
The NGI, now in its second year, will take place at the renowned Ak-Chin Southern Dunes in Maricopa, Arizona. The tournament will be a 54-hole format with a field of 18 teams. Similar to basketball's National Invitational Tournament, the NGI, hosted by Golfweek Magazine, gives deserving golf teams who are outside of NCAA postseason play the opportunity to compete in a season-ending championship event.
The Spartans will head west of the Mississippi for the first time this season. Upstate last went this far west during the 2023 Jackrabbit Invitational held outside of Las Vegas.
Head Coach Todd Lawton expressed the team's excitement at competing at the NGI. "To say the opportunity to play postseason golf is exciting would not do our emotions justice," Coach Lawton remarked. "A golf season lasts a long time over an academic year, and there are so many demands on our players to perform well every week. These ladies have done it from last August until now, and being recognized for their efforts and accomplishments is incredible. All our players are getting prepared mentally and physically for arguably one of the strongest fields we've ever faced."
The Spartans qualified for the NGI by virtue of their runner-up finish at the Big South Conference Championship earlier this month. Teams who have accepted a bid to the NGI include: Austin Peay, Arkansas State, Chattanooga, Florida Atlantic, Jacksonville State, Mercer, Rutgers, Santa Clara and UNC Wilmington.