SAN JUAN, P.R. – The Bethune-Cookman Wildcats women's golf team is set to tee off at the Hornet Invitational, a prestigious tournament hosted by Alabama State in the picturesque setting of San Juan, Puerto Rico. The three-day, 54-hole event, scheduled from March 19-21, will take place at the Grand Reserve Golf Club, a world-class course that promises to challenge the skill and precision of the participating golfers in this year's field.
 
Under the direction of third-year head coach Harry Stokes, the Wildcats enter the tournament with high hopes and a strong lineup, led by Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Golfer of the Week, Katie Robinson. The junior from American Canyon, California, turned in her best 54-hole collegiate total last time out at the Lady Bison Invitational in Gainesville, Florida, just two weeks ago.
 
ABOUT THE COURSE
The Grand Reserve Golf Club presents a unique set of challenges. The course, designed by PGA professional Tom Kite is located in Rio Grande, east of San Juan, by the sea and overlooking El Yunque U.S. National Forest. It is comprised of 36 holes, divided into two (2) 18-hole courses: the "Championship" and the "International".
 
The Grand Reserve Golf Club of Puerto Rico opened for play in 2006, approximately a century after the inauguration of the first golf facility on the island at El Morro Castle in Old San Juan. It's a venue that has since hosted 14 PGA Tour events, the 2022 U.S. Women's Amateur Four-Ball Championship – the first USGA competition in a U.S. territory – and the 2023 Latin America Amateur Championship (LAAC).
 
WILDCATS IN THE FIELD
1. Katie Robinson (Jr.) – American Canyon, Calif.
2. Jenna Werle (Grad.) – Cocoa, Fla.
3. Kyleigh Leaf (R-Sr.) – Brownsburg, Ind.
4. Kamary Leaf (Jr.) – Brownsburg, Ind.
5. Skylar Kew (Soph.) – Dundas, Ontario
 
QUOTES FROM STOKES
"It will be interesting to see how we fair traveling out of the continental United States. This is the part of the season where we start playing against more SWAC competition. This will be a nice measuring stick for us going into the championship segment of the schedule."
 
"We've been working on some really good things. If we can make good decisions, then I'll be looking for strong performances this week."
 
"The course is – what else can I say – beautiful. It's going to be picturesque, to say the least. And I know it's challenging as well as beautiful. This is a magnificent venue for collegiate golf, and I'm thrilled at the opportunity for our team to compete here, especially with so many great student-athletes we've had at Bethune-Cookman throughout the history of the athletics department that have come from Puerto Rico."
 
LAST TIME OUT FOR BCU
Bethune-Cookman's Katie Robinson fired a three-round career-low 230 in helping the Wildcats women's golf squad claim a ninth place finish in this year's Lady Bison Invitational at Hawkstone Country Club. The two-day, 54-hole event began with 36 holes on Monday, March 4, concluding with just 18 holes for Tuesday's final round, while being host by Howard University.
 
Robinson, a junior from American Canyon, California, fired an opening round 6-over 77 on Monday, before turning round and shooting a season-best 3-under 68 across the second round of the day. She would finish the event tied for 17th on the leaderboard after turning in a 7-over 78 on Tuesday. In all, she finished with a 230 (+17) scorecard for the event.
 
Behind Robinson in the BCU lineup and scoring was graduate transfer Jenna Werle (81-78-80=239, +26), as the Cocoa, Florida product posted her best round of the tournament in Monday's second round play, firing a 7-over 78. The score allowed her to tie for 34th on the final individual leaderboard.
 
Kyleigh Leaf (82-88-78=248, +35) finished strong in bouncing back Tuesday with a 7-over 78, allowing the redshirt senior from Brownsburg, Indiana to finish tied for 51st on the leaderboard.
 
Fellow Brownsburg, Indiana native and younger sister Kamary Leaf (83-91-83=257, +44) finished 63rd for the event after suffering a tough second round 91. However, the junior opened and closed strong for the Cats with mirror 83 scorecards, respectively.
 
The final golfer of the tournament for the Maroon and Gold was sophomore Skylar Kew (95-81-94=270, +57), as the Dundas Valley Secondary School alum turned in an 81 scorecard in her second round play.
 
Georgetown collected the team trophy for the tournament, while the Hoyas' Georgia Ruffolo (74-78-71=213, E) took home the individual medalist award. Following her on the all-tournament team were teammates Morgan Smith and Megan Gormley going second and third, respectively. Howard's Kendall Jackson was fourth, followed by Merrimack's Prakruthi Sastry and Youngstown State's Madison Smithco.
 
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