Florida State University Athletics
Challenging Schedule Paying Dividends For No. 13 Seminoles
10/24/2024 3:54:00 PM | Women's Golf
WILMINGTON, N.C. – A quick flight from Oklahoma City to the picturesque North Carolina coast has landed the No. 13 ranked Seminole Women's Golf in this charming Southern beach community, commonly known as one of the top vacation destinations in the nation.
But the Seminoles aren't there for a mid-semester weekend away from their campus in Tallahassee. After a practice round on Thursday, Florida State is ready to begin play in the Landfall Tradition at the Country Club of Landfall – one of the top tournaments of the fall season.
The three-day event from October 25-27 will tee off early Friday and Saturday mornings at 8:30 a.m. The final round will begin on Sunday, Oct. 27, for a shotgun start at 9 am. The tournament is contested on the par-72, 6,178-yard rolling layout nestled along the Intracoastal Waterway near Wrightsville Beach.
The acclaimed tournament features six of the top 25 in the nation, according to the latest Golfstat rankings, including No. 11 Virginia, No. 12 North Carolina, Florida State, No. 17 Ole Miss, No. 20 Duke, and No. 22 Michigan State. The No. 3 South Carolina Gamecocks, which has won the team championship three times, is also in the field. Duke, which won the championship in 2023, will defend its championship.
Florida State, which finished fourth at the Jackson T. Stephens Cup, is playing in its second tournament of the week. Amy Bond's squad is trying to earn its fourth top-four finish.
Bond, the winningest women's golf coach in school history, is looking forward to watching her lineup consisting of one senior (Kaylah Williams), one junior (All-American Lottie Woad), and three freshmen (Sophia Fullbrook, Alexandra Gazzoli, and Christina Surcey respond positively to playing six rounds of golf (and traveling a total of nearly 2,000 miles) in seven days.
"The benefits outweigh the challenges," said Bond. "The benefits include being able to immediately work on the talking points from the Jackson T. Stephens Cup, staying in competition mode, and learning early on what the National Championship week is like. The schedule at nationals is set to be played for a full week, so this is a realistic opportunity to mirror that week.
"We also find that players play better on consecutive weeks as they get into a rhythm."
The Seminoles have developed quite a rhythm as they approach the conclusion of their four-tournament fall schedule.
Bond has led the Seminoles to three top-four finishes – second place at the Folds of Honor Collegiate, third place at the Schooner Fall Classic, and tied for fourth place at the Jackson T. Stephens Cup.
The 15th-year head coach, who has led the Seminoles to 20 team championships, is happy with the team's progress.
"We've had the opportunity to play with a number of different lineups under some incredibly challenging conditions," said Bond. "We are playing with three freshmen and without Mirabel (Ting) for the second straight tournament. We've certainly learned a lot and have become a better team throughout the fall.
Ting, the ACC Golfer of the Month for October, is playing in the LPGA Maybank Championship in her home country of Malaysia.
The Seminoles' national profile and Bond's philosophy of playing in the most competitive tournaments often allow her to make decisions that benefit her players and the Florida State program.
"We try to play in the best tournaments which allow us to play the most competitive schedules we can," said Bond. "Sometimes those tournaments are close in their dates."
Tournament results can be found on Golfstat.
But the Seminoles aren't there for a mid-semester weekend away from their campus in Tallahassee. After a practice round on Thursday, Florida State is ready to begin play in the Landfall Tradition at the Country Club of Landfall – one of the top tournaments of the fall season.
The three-day event from October 25-27 will tee off early Friday and Saturday mornings at 8:30 a.m. The final round will begin on Sunday, Oct. 27, for a shotgun start at 9 am. The tournament is contested on the par-72, 6,178-yard rolling layout nestled along the Intracoastal Waterway near Wrightsville Beach.
The acclaimed tournament features six of the top 25 in the nation, according to the latest Golfstat rankings, including No. 11 Virginia, No. 12 North Carolina, Florida State, No. 17 Ole Miss, No. 20 Duke, and No. 22 Michigan State. The No. 3 South Carolina Gamecocks, which has won the team championship three times, is also in the field. Duke, which won the championship in 2023, will defend its championship.
Florida State, which finished fourth at the Jackson T. Stephens Cup, is playing in its second tournament of the week. Amy Bond's squad is trying to earn its fourth top-four finish.
Bond, the winningest women's golf coach in school history, is looking forward to watching her lineup consisting of one senior (Kaylah Williams), one junior (All-American Lottie Woad), and three freshmen (Sophia Fullbrook, Alexandra Gazzoli, and Christina Surcey respond positively to playing six rounds of golf (and traveling a total of nearly 2,000 miles) in seven days.
"The benefits outweigh the challenges," said Bond. "The benefits include being able to immediately work on the talking points from the Jackson T. Stephens Cup, staying in competition mode, and learning early on what the National Championship week is like. The schedule at nationals is set to be played for a full week, so this is a realistic opportunity to mirror that week.
"We also find that players play better on consecutive weeks as they get into a rhythm."
The Seminoles have developed quite a rhythm as they approach the conclusion of their four-tournament fall schedule.
Bond has led the Seminoles to three top-four finishes – second place at the Folds of Honor Collegiate, third place at the Schooner Fall Classic, and tied for fourth place at the Jackson T. Stephens Cup.
The 15th-year head coach, who has led the Seminoles to 20 team championships, is happy with the team's progress.
"We've had the opportunity to play with a number of different lineups under some incredibly challenging conditions," said Bond. "We are playing with three freshmen and without Mirabel (Ting) for the second straight tournament. We've certainly learned a lot and have become a better team throughout the fall.
Ting, the ACC Golfer of the Month for October, is playing in the LPGA Maybank Championship in her home country of Malaysia.
The Seminoles' national profile and Bond's philosophy of playing in the most competitive tournaments often allow her to make decisions that benefit her players and the Florida State program.
"We try to play in the best tournaments which allow us to play the most competitive schedules we can," said Bond. "Sometimes those tournaments are close in their dates."
Tournament results can be found on Golfstat.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
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