Chippewas Tee It Up In Hosting Role

Monday, October 21

Birmingham, Mich.

Central Michigan University

Chippewa Invitational

Photo by: Jose Juarez

10/20/2019 5:27:00 PM | Women's Golf

Inaugural Chippewa Invitational gets underway on Monday

By: Andy Sneddon, CMUChippewas.com

BIRMINGHAM, Mich. – It's been an historic fall for Central Michigan golf.

Another first comes on Monday when the Chippewas host the inaugural Chippewa Invitational at Birmingham Country Club.

It is the first time CMU has hosted an event since the program's resurrection in 2014-15, and it is the final event of a fall schedule that has seen CMU claim its first team tournament title and have an individual, freshman Claudia Salvador, win a tournament.

The Chippewas welcome 14 teams to Birmingham CC on Monday for the 36-hole, two-day event.

"Birmingham's a pretty special spot," second-year CMU coach Jim Earle said. "It's exciting to secure such an historic and beautiful place. I personally think it's going to be the finest golf course that most of these players have ever played a collegiate event on.

"It (the tournament) was the brainchild of one of the Birmingham members who is a CMU graduate and has been a good friend of the women's golf program. This is a special event for our program, our players and the university."

Birmingham CC was the site of the 1953 PGA Championship and the 1968 U.S. Women's Amateur.

Tournament Field
Joining the Chippewas in the tournament are fellow Mid-American Conference members Eastern Michigan, Toledo and Western Michigan, along with Bradley, Chicago State, Detroit Mercy, Ferris State, Grand Valley State, Mount St. Mary's, Niagara, Northwood, Oakland, Purdue Fort Wayne, and Stonehill.

Format
The tournament begins on Monday, Oct. 21 and concludes on Tuesday, Oct. 22. Each day comprises one 18-hole round beginning with a 10 a.m. shotgun start.

The Chippewas
CMU finished second last weekend at the Mastodon Fall Invitational in Fort Wayne, Ind. Salvador made CMU history by earning medalist honors, becoming the first Chippewa to win a tournament. She shot a 54-hole 221 total to tie for the second-lowest score in program history, and earned the MAC Golfer of the Week Award last week.

CMU opened the fall schedule with a first-place finish, another program first, at the Oakland Golden Grizzlies Invitational in Rochester, Mich. The Chippewas also placed third at the EMU Shirley Spork Invitational this fall, giving them three top-three team finishes in four fall events.

Coach Earle
"We have not played our best golf yet. We have to mature. We need four good scores consistently. We need to be able to drop a score in the mid or high 70s to get down to where we need to get to. I really feel that this is a team that, when we show up, should be breaking 300 (team score). We have that kind of ability.

"I think it's progressing to where I want it to be. I'm still staying patient with all of the talent that we brought in, and I think we're on that upward trajectory."