5 Things to Know: Silverado Showdown
April 05, 2018 | Women's Golf
Badgers journey to Napa Valley
MADISON, Wis. —  The Wisconsin women's golf team will compete in Napa, California for its fifth event this spring, playing at the Silverado Showdown, April 8-10, at The North Course at Silverado Resort.Â
Here are five things to know before the tournament:
1. Last time out:  Senior Lexi Harkins ledthe Wisconsin to a sixth-place finish against a strong field at the Clemson Invitational in Sunset, South Carolina. The weekend featured 11 teams ranked among the top 50 nationally, including three top-15 ranked competitors. Wisconsin defeated five ranked opponents, including No. 14 Oklahoma, No. 21 Purdue and No. 28 Florida State.
2. Napa Valley: Established around a landmark mansion, built in 1870 in the hills of Napa Valley, Silverado is one of the oldest golf clubs in Northern California. The estate has entertained presidents hosted numerous PGA TOUR events that have featured legends such as Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson and Arnold Palmer. Redesigned in 2011, the PGA TOUR will play Silverado's North Course for the next five years with the Safeway Open.
3. Fine Wine: The Badgers will travel the experienced starting five lineup of seniors Gabby Curtis, Lexi Harkins, Aya Johnson, Becky Klongland, and junior Jessica Reinecke to Napa this coming weekend. That group continues its streak of playing in every match of the 2017-18 season together.Â
4. West Coast Foes:  The No. 32 Badgers will face the best of the west across the country at the Silverado Showdown. Wisconsin takes on No. 13 Arizona, No. 10 Arizona State, California, No. 20 Colorado, No. 14 Northwestern, Oregon, No. 50 Pepperdine, No. 23 Purdue, San Jose State, No. 8 USC, No. 4 Stanford, No. 6 Texas, Tulane, No. 1 UCLA, No. 37 UNLV and Washington State. The 18-teams and individuals will participate in a 54-hole invitational. Playing in threesomes, the teams will play 18 holes each day.Â
5. Thoughts from Coach Oehrlein:Â
   "We've played in the tournament in the past and are excited to be heading out there. It's a demanding golf course but very fair. It is the strongest and deepest field that we've played in so far."  Â
   "We will need to drive the ball well. The rough tends to be thick and there are quite a few longer approach shots that become difficult out of the rough."
Live Stats
Live stats will be available at http://results.golfstat.com//public/leaderboards/gsnav.cfm?pg=participants&tid=14489..
