DAHLONEGA - The No. 5 University of North Georgia (UNG) women's golf team returns to its home course Monday to host the 13th annual LeeAnn Noble Memorial Golf Tournament at Achasta Golf Club. The two-day tournament features a 17-team field, including 10 programs ranked in the Women's Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) Top 25.

The tournament honors the memory of LeeAnn Noble, a former member of the UNG women's golf team and nursing student who died March 10, 2014, at age 20 following complications related to her heart health. Noble received a heart transplant at age 12 and remained an active member of the UNG community, serving as a leader on the golf team and participating in the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. Before coming to North Georgia, she was a standout golfer at Gainesville High School, where she was named Hall County Player of the Year in 2011 and graduated in the top 4% of her class.

Noble's story, including her friendship with teammate Bridget Sandy, who battled leukemia, was featured in the NCAA's Champion magazine. The LeeAnn Noble Memorial continues to celebrate her legacy and the impact she made on her teammates, the university and the surrounding community.

The tournament opens Monday, Oct. 12, with 36 holes of competition before the field returns Tuesday, Oct. 13, for the final 18 holes. North Georgia will welcome a competitive field featuring several of the nation's top-ranked programs, including No. 1 Dallas Baptist, No. 3 Anderson, No. 7 Lincoln Memorial and No. 8 Lander.

The field also includes No. 10 Lee, No. 12 Wingate, No. 20 Saint Leo, No. 22 Florida Southern and No. 24 Erskine, along with Peach Belt Conference opponents Columbus State, Lander and USC Beaufort. Other programs competing include Arkansas-Fort Smith, Young Harris, Montevallo, Catawba and Lenoir-Rhyne.

North Georgia finished fourth in last year's tournament, while Wingate claimed the team title. Anderson's Olivia Pellerin earned individual medalist honors, and the Nighthawks were led by Ellie Jane Riner, who finished at 2-under par for a top-10 finish.

The Nighthawks will look to take advantage of familiar surroundings at Achasta Golf Club, which has served as the home course for UNG golf since the programs began in 2009. Located approximately two miles from campus in the foothills of the North Georgia Mountains, the Jack Nicklaus Signature course winds along the Chestatee River, which comes into play on more than half of its holes. Achasta was ranked the No. 6 course in Georgia in Golfweek's 2020 Best Courses You Can Play rankings.

The Nighthawks open play Monday at Achasta Golf Club as they welcome one of the season's strongest fields to Dahlonega for the 13th annual memorial tournament.