SAN FRANCISCO — The University of San Francisco women's golf team begins its third season under the helm of head coach Sara Doell in 2019-20 and the fall schedule boasts an array of familiar tournaments and courses with exciting new challenges. The Dons will compete in five tournaments this fall across four different states as USF looks to test its experienced core.
 
With all six letterwinners returning for next season, the Dons will challenge themselves against a wide variety of teams and courses – many of which are familiar to the Dons. USF was featured in four of the five tournaments last year and look to challenge for the top spot on the leaderboard this season.
 
For the second consecutive year, the Dons will begin the fall in Woodbury, Minn., when they participate in the Minnesota Invitational Sept. 9-10 at Prestwick Golf Club. In 2018, the Dons were led by Annika Borrelli who finished tied for 22nd in her collegiate debut.
 
"We will start our schedule at the Minnesota Invitational at Prestwick Country Club where we competed this past fall for the first time and played well," said Doell. "This gives us a chance to see where we stack up against teams from the Big Ten and other Midwest teams that we typically do not get to see on a regular basis. The golf course is a fair test with several reachable par-5s that our length should help us excel on. It is a great event on a great golf course to start our fall season."
 
The following weekend, the Dons will travel to Pullman, Wash., to play in the WSU Cougar Cup Invitational hosted by Washington State on Sept. 16-17 at the Palouse Ridge Country Club. It is the only new tournament the Dons will be competing in this fall.
 
"This event is being hosted at the site of the 2020 NCAA Pullman Regional at Palouse Ridge Golf Club," said Doell. "The field is the strongest field we will see all year with over half of the Pac-12 teams in the field as well as conference rivals Gonzaga and Pepperdine."
 
USF wraps up September with a return trip to the Ptarmigan Ram Classic hosted by Colorado State Sept. 23-24 at the Ptarmigan Country Club in Ft. Collins, Colo. For Gong, this will be the fourth time the San Francisco native has appeared in this tournament. She has improved in this tournament every season. Last year she finished just outside the top-20.
 
"This tournament will be a much different field than we will see all fall. I believe that we can be a very strong competitor on a golf course that we have historically played very well at in Ptarmigan Country Club. The ball travels farther at the elevation that this golf course is at which helps us even more on the par-5s," said Doell.
 
The Dons will open up October back in the Pacific Northwest when they compete at the Edean Ihlanfeldt hosted by the Washington at Sahalee Country Club. The Dons finished eighth in this tournament last season. Sophomore Jade Siphomsay had her best fall showing, finished tied for 34th in the competitive field.
 
"This golf course is a typical Washington course with tree lined holes and plush fairways. Weather is often a factor at this event as it is hosted in mid-October in what is typically a pretty rainy and cold time. The strongest teams mentally and physically will rise to the top at this event," added Doell.
 
USF wraps up its fall schedule late in October when they return to Boulder Creek Golf Club to participate in the Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown hosted by UNLV Oct. 27-29.  The Dons finished 11th last year after a strong third round and had two players finish in the top-20.
 
"The winds tend to be a factor at this event," said Doell. "But that will be to our advantage thanks to all the practice we get in the wind that we tend to see at the Presidio and at the Cliffs Course at the Olympic Club. I think we can be very competitive in this field and look forward to us finishing the fall out on a strong note at this event!"
 
Following the Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown, the Dons will be off until their spring schedule.