CHARLESTON, S.C. – Amy Bond, the head coach of the No. 6 ranked Florida State Women’s Golf team, is not shy.
Not shy in how she schedules, who her team competes against in each tournament, or on which course her team plays.
Nor should she be with how she has elevated her program to elite status.
Florida State is ranked No. 6 nationally as it begins a tough four-tournament fall schedule at the 19th Annual Cougar Classic at the Yeamans Hall Club. As the highest ranked of the 18 teams in the 54-hole event, the Seminoles are one of eight teams ranked in the WGCA Top-36 in the field (No. 19 Georgia, No. 25 Kentucky, No. 29 UCF, No. 30 Ole Miss, No. 34 Michigan State, No. 35 Illinois, and No. 36 Miami).
“This is a great event for us to play in to open our year,” said Bond. “There are so many traditional powerhouse teams in the field who certainly feel they should be ranked in the top 25, and probably should be. When you look at the field of teams, Georgia advanced to match play at the NCAA Finals last season and Ole Miss won the National Championship in 2021. There are so many really good teams in this event, and that’s an exciting way to begin the fall.”
The Seminoles, who finished a program-best fifth in the final standings of the 2022 NCAA Finals, have many reasons to be excited as the new season begins.
Florida State returns one of the nation’s most experienced lineups, and will play in the Cougar Classic with three players – senior Amelia Williamson and juniors Charlotte Heath and Alice Hodge – who all have championship experience. Williamson and Heath were both All-Americans in 2022, while Hodge is a veteran who has played in 17 career events. Also in the Seminoles’ lineup are sophomore Kaylah Williams and freshman Lottie Woad.
With Williamson in the lineup the last time the Seminoles played in the Cougar Classic in 2019, the Seminoles finished in a tie for seventh place.
“As a fifth year player, I am excited to travel again and represent the Seminoles and FSU one more time,” said Williamson. “I am looking forward to traveling to new golf courses and competing in some new fall events which I have not played before. I am also looking forward to building on my results and progress from my first four years.
“I’ve developed a lot as a player, so it excites me to see what my game will produce in the fall. I am also excited about the change in school environment. I am presented with…
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