GREENEVILLE, Tenn. --- Tusculum will host the 21st annual Agnes McAmis Memorial Women's Golf Invitational this Monday and Tuesday at Link Hills Country Club. This year will mark the first time the tournament will be a 54-hole event with 36 holes being played on Monday, followed by Tuesday's final round on the par-72, 5,910-yard layout.
This year's tournament field consists of teams and players representing six institutions from four different states including Tennessee, South Carolina, Georgia and Virginia.
Joining Tusculum at this year's McAmis Memorial are fellow NCAA Division II programs King University, Newberry College, Shorter University, Union University (Tenn.) and UVa-Wise.
Tusculum has won their spring home tournament five times (1998, 1999, 2000, 2012, 2013). King is the defending champion while Newberry won this event two years ago in 2016.
Leading the Pioneers is senior Ciara Rattana, who has a 76.35 stroke average in her eight events this season. She has posted seven top-20 performances this year, including five times in the top-10 and twice in the top-five. Her stroke average is currently on pace to be a new Tusculum single-season record. She has posted scores in the 70s in 15 of her 17 rounds this year. She currently has a 77.66 career scoring average which is the second lowest in school history while her 80.5 career rounds played are seventh in the school record book.
The three-time All-South Atlantic Conference first team choice finished runner-up at the Bob Dibble Classic last fall and tied for fifth at the Barton Invitational at Kiawah earlier this spring. Rattana's best finish at the McAmis Memorial came in 2016 when she tied for seventh place.
Junior Katie Tomassoni is second on the team with her 76.76 scoring average, which is currently the second lowest in school history and just six shots off the pace set by Rattana this year. Tomassoni has played in all eight events this year where she has finished in the top-10 on six occasions, with a team-best five top-5 performances. She has recorded scores in the 70s in 14 of her 17 rounds this season.
Tomassoni opened year by capturing medalist honors at the Bob Dibble Classic. It was her second individual win of her career. She also finished third at the LeeAnn Noble Memorial, fourth at the Myrtle Beach Intercollegiate and back-to-back fifth place showings at the Barton Invitational at Kiawah and the LMU Spring Kickoff Intercollegiate.
Tomassoni, a two-time All-SAC nominee, has a career average of 78.17, which is third-best in the Tusculum record book. She tied for seventh place at the 2016 McAmis Memorial and placed 11th at last year's event, including a final round 73.
Junior Cydney Murrell is third on the team with her 78.23 scoring average, almost a full three strokes better per round than last season. Murrell has finished in the top-20 on five occasions, including four top-10 finishes. Her stroke average this year is eighth-best in school history.
Her best showing of the year came last month at the LMU Spring Kickoff as she tied for sixth place. She finished eighth at both the Dibble Classic and the Patsy Rendleman Invitational. Her 80.19 career average is fifth in the TC record book. Murrell has finished 23rd and 25th in her two previous appearances at the McAmis Memorial.
Junior Taylor White is fourth on the roster with her 80.24 stroke average which includes a pair of top-20 outings as a well as a fifth-place finish at the Dibble Classic including a season-best round of 73. White has qualified for every tournament this season.
Also competing for the Pioneers this week are senior Sayre Hopper (94.5), juniors Kelsey Haun (86.5) and Trista Holder (88.5), sophomore Maggienella Basile (83.5) and freshmen Mackenzie Butler (89.0) and Meredith Burton (92.3).
The opening round starts Monday morning at 9:30 a.m. with a shotgun start. Monday's second round will begin immediately following the conclusion of the opening 18 holes. Tuesday's final round will be another 9:30 a.m. shotgun start from Link Hills. Admission to the two-day, 54-hole tournament is free and open to the public.