Razorbacks Commence Fall Season in Pebble Beach
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – The University of Arkansas women’s golf team will tee off the 2022-23 season at the Carmel Cup in Pebble Beach, California, Sept. 2-4. Hosted at Pebble Beach Golf Links, one of the most pristine golf settings in the country, the Carmel Cup is in its first year as a women’s tournament.
Arkansas is one of eight teams in the field, which includes six NCAA Championship qualifying teams (the Razorbacks included) and the reigning NCAA Champion in Stanford. Half of the eight-team field is made up of SEC schools with Mississippi State, Texas A&M and Vanderbilt in the mix.
The tournament will consist of three rounds, 18 holes each, that will run from Friday, Sept. 2 to Sunday, Sept. 4. New to women’s collegiate golf this season, the Hogs can take advantage of the play six-count-five and six-count-four formats.
This year’s 2022-23 squad is made up of seven returners and three newcomers. The returning group is led by senior Kajal Mistry, who was tabbed a Golfweek All-America Honorable Mention selection and All-SEC First Team choice. She shot a 73.18 average last season with 14 rounds at par or under and will leadoff the Hogs at the No. 1 spot. Julia Gregg is also coming off a solid junior year, sitting at second on the 2021-22 team in scoring average (73.94) and par or under rounds (11). Ela Anacona, a senior who tallied three top 20 finishes last season, and Miriam Ayora, junior who appeared in all 11 tournaments, are the other two returners in the lineup.
Two Arkansas newcomers will make their Hog debuts this weekend. Kendall Todd will look to make an immediate impact at the No. 2 spot. Todd spent her freshman season at UNLV, where she was a Mountain West All-Conference Second Team selection and finished with a 74.05 scoring average and an NCAA Stanford Regional appearance. True freshman Reagan Zibilski is No. 3 in the lineup and is a two-time Missouri High School State Champion and qualified for the U.S. Open as a freshman in high school.
This year’s roster is deep, also including returners Giovanna Fernandez (sophomore), Cory Lopez (junior) and Ffion Tynan (sophomore), as well as freshman Meghan Royal. The Hogs are looking to build off last season’s success, which was capped off by the program’s 19th straight, 20th overall, NCAA Regional appearance and 11th NCAA Championship bid.