The LSU women’s golf team will begin play in the Southeastern Conference Women’s Golf Championship on April 16 at Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida. The Tigers aim to reach match play for the sixth year in a row after three rounds of stroke play.
The championship is significant as it features strong competition, with 14 out of 16 teams ranked among the top 35 nationally according to NCAA Scoreboard by Clippd rankings. Only the top eight teams after stroke play will advance to match play, with the winner decided on Tuesday.
Florida enters as the highest-ranked team at No. 3, followed closely by Texas A&M and Texas. LSU is ranked No. 32 and has recorded three top-five finishes this season: third place at the Golfweek Red Sky Classic last September, fourth at the Puerto Rico Classic in spring, and fifth at March’s Betsy Rawls Invitational.
LSU’s lineup includes seniors Elsa Svensson and Taylor Riley; sophomores Francesca Fiorellini and Rocio Tejedo; and freshman Ryleigh Knaub. Three players—Svensson (52nd), Fiorellini (66th), and Knaub (70th)—are currently ranked among college golf’s top 100 players. Knaub leads with an average score of 71.89 over eighteen rounds this season.
Head Coach Garrett Runion said, “The course looks great… The weather for this week looks good. Fortunately for us, it was very similar to how it was in Baton Rouge practice this week with our lineup.” He added that there is a positive atmosphere within the team: “The vibe of the team is really high right now… They’ve had a good week to practice as a team and push each other.”
Runion also said, “The team is looking to kind of turn a page and start fresh for the postseason and it is a good week to start playing like we know we can play.”
Pelican Golf Club has hosted this event for three years on its par-70 course spanning over 6,292 yards. The club also hosts an LPGA Tour stop annually.
Tee times begin Friday morning starting at 8:10 a.m., with live scoring available online.
