BEAUMONT, Texas – The Lamar University women's golf team opens its fall campaign when it travels to Mobile, Alabama, to compete in the 2017 USA Intercollegiate hosted by the University of South Alabama.
 
The Cardinals are one of 13 teams in the three-day, 54-hole event on the 6,002-yard, par-72 layout that starts Saturday at the Robert Trent Jones Trail Magnolia Grove Crossings Course. LU is one of three Southland Conference schools in the field, joining McNeese and Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Other teams in the field along with the host school are Alabama, Alabama State, Lipscomb, Samford, UT Arlington, Tulane, Troy, West Florida and Western Kentucky.
 
"It's a very strong field on a tough course," LU coach Jessica Steward said. "I know we're eager to get the season started."
 
The Cardinals had their preseason practice schedule altered thanks to Hurricane Harvey. The team has practiced on courses in Louisiana and Mont Belvieu, Texas.
 
"We had to get creative," Steward said. "We just couldn't go to a driving range every day. We did a lot of driving to different places. It was tiring, but we kept our spirits up."
 
Sophomore Elodie Chapelet, who was named the Southland Conference's player of the year and freshman of the year last season, will tee off as the No. 1 golfer for the Cardinals. Chapelet finished in the top five in all nine events last season, including four first-place finishes.
 
"Elodie had a terrific summer playing in tournaments in Europe," Steward said. "I'm looking forward to seeing what she can do this season."
 
Senior Felicia Sauceda will play in the No. 2 spot this weekend. Senior Olivia Le Roux, a second-team All-Southland Conference selection last year, is in the third position. A pair of transfers round out the LU lineup.  Eva Martinez-Calavia is a sophomore who comes to LU from Division II Armstrong State, which dropped its athletic program at the end of the season. As a freshman, Martinez-Calavia earned second team all-conference honors at Armstrong State last year. Junior Ashlyn Hendricks played two years at McLennan Community College, helping that school finish third and fourth in the National Junior College Athletic Association Championships during her time there.
 
"I think this is the first time that I have ever started a season where none of my players was competing in their first collegiate event," Steward said. "I think that experience should help us."
 
FORECAST: Saturday could see scattered thunderstorms, while Sunday and Monday look to be partly cloudy. The high all three days will be around 90. The chance of rain is 40 percent on Saturday and 20 percent for Sunday and Monday.
 
UP NEXT: The Cardinals will compete at the Mark Allen Shootout, hosted by Oral Roberts University, on Sept. 25-26 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.