BEAUMONT, Texas – The Lamar University women's golf team will compete in its only match-play format tournament of the season when it hosts the Cardinal Challenge at the Beaumont Country Club on Monday.
 
The four-team event gets underway at 7:30 a.m. with two matches. The host Cardinals will face Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, while Stephen F. Austin takes on South Alabama. The afternoon session will see the winners of the morning matches play for the title, while the two defeated teams will battle it out for third place.
 
"The format will be exciting, but the players might feel added pressure with head-to-head matches," LU coach Jessica Steward said. "As a team, if you lose the first match you're no longer eligible for the championship title."
 
The Cardinals played in one match-play tournament last season, capturing the Women's Mid-American Match-Play Challenge in Lakewood Ranch, Florida, defeating Ohio, Florida Gulf Coast and Akron.
 
"We're excited about Monday's event. It's always fun to play on your home course because there's a certain level of comfort," Steward said. "It also helps to be familiar with the greens at the Beaumont Country Club."
 
LU's lineup will see Elodie Chapelet in the top spot, followed by Eva Martinez, Olivia Le Roux, Felicia Sauceda and Brooke Duzan.
 
"Elodie and Eva have played a lot of match play back home in Europe, so they are confident going into Monday," Steward said. "Having won a match-play tournament last year in Florida is also a big confidence booster."
 
Admission to Monday's event is free.
 
FORECAST: The morning round will start under partly sunny skies with a temperature of 57 degrees and the wind out of the northeast at 6 mph. The afternoon round will also have partly sunny skies. The second round will get underway with the temperature near 70 and the wind out of the east-northeast at 6 mph.
 
UP NEXT: The Cardinals compete at the Southland Conference Championships, set for April 16-18 at the Woodcrest Golf Club in Montgomery, Texas.