PREVIEW: Women’s Golf competes in World Golf Invitational for spring opener

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – The Catawba College women's golf team starts its spring semester slate at the World Golf Invitational hosted by Flagler at the King & Bear Golf Course.

Named one of the best public-access courses in Florida by Golfweek in 2024, the King & Bear was designed by two of the game's icons in Arnold Palmer (nicknamed "The King") and Jack Nicklaus (nicknamed the "Golden Bear"). The front nine holes reflect the rich history of St. Augustine with a classic links setup, while the back nine leans into the Floridian landscape as water and tighter fairways present challenges.

Rachel Carlson leads the charge holding an 82.0 stroke average and comes off a second-round 75 at the Intercollegiate at Nemacolin in the fall finale. Mary-Paige King enters the spring section with a team-best No. 231 national ranking following a solid start to her sophomore year, logging a stroke average of 77.9 and placing fifth at three-over par in the Savannah Lakes Invitational.

Freshman Sara Kristinsdottir makes her Catawba debut in the event as the Mosfellbaer, Iceland native comes to Salisbury after spending one semester at Troy. In her youth career, Kristinsdottir was a three-year member of the Icelandic Girls National Team and reached a No. 549 ranking by WAGR.

Returning to round out the lineup following their initial tournaments as Catawba Indians are Valentina Moran and Taya Buxton. Moran posted a 78 at Savannah Lakes as an individual, totaling an 86.8 stroke average through the four fall events. Buxton has the second-lowest stroke average of the season behind King at 81.2, competing in the first two tournaments featuring a low round score of 76.

Among the 16 teams in the field are 10 top-25 programs per the latest Clippd rankings, led by host Flagler at No. 5. The only other South Atlantic Conference program joining Catawba at the World Golf Village is Limestone.

Scoring will be conducted through Golf Genius and final scorecards will be posted to Clippd once play wraps up on Monday afternoon.