The SEC Women’s Championship will be held at The Pelican Golf Club in Belleair, Florida, from April 12 to 16. It’s the first conference championship of the season and kicks off a frantic stretch of golf between now and the NCAA Championships in May.

The tournament's format is 54 holes of stroke play. The top eight teams qualify for match play.

What happened last year?

LSU earned the No. 1 seed but bowed out in the semi-finals to Mississippi St.

Texas A&M defeated Mississippi St. in a thrilling final 3-2 that included a 21-hole match between Jennie Park and Izzy Pellot to earn the title. Texas A&M defeated Florida in the quarter-finals and South Carolina in the semi-finals en route to the win.

Teams to watch

The SEC is loaded with team and individual talent this year. Seven teams are in the top 20 of the Scoreboard national rankings, with South Carolina (#2) as the highest-ranked team. LSU (#5) and Arkansas (#6) are right behind.

South Carolina has two wins—the Annika and San Diego State Classic—and four top-three finishes this season. Juniors Louise Rydqvist and Hannah Darling will have to have great performances for the Gamecocks. Darling is playing some of the best golf in the country. She won the Darius Rucker in March and shot a 66 in the opening round of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur, finishing in seventh place. Rydqvist won the season opening Annika Intercollegiate.

Arkansas's performance in last year's SEC Championship was disappointing, as it finished second-to-last in the 54-hole stroke play. However, the addition of first-year phenom Maria Jose Marin has catapulted the Razorbacks into the national discussion.

Of course, it’s tough to look past the LSU Tigers, who will bring two seasoned veterans to the championship. Ingrid Lindblad is the No. 1 ranked player in the Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com Women's Rankings, and Latanna Stone provides an excellent 1-2 punch with the Swedish sensation. Stone finished runner-up in the U.S. Women’s Amateur last year.

The player that beat Stone at Bel-Air CC in that U.S. Women’s Am final will also be in the field. Megan Schofill leads the Auburn Tigers, the No. 10 ranked team on Scoreboard. The Tigers have six top-three finishes this year and one victory. Anna Davis, who arrived in January to start her college career will add a boost to the team. Sophomore Casey Weidenfeld should also play an important role for Auburn.

The defending champion Aggies, ranked No. 18 on Scoreboard, have not recorded a victory since last year’s SEC Championship; however, they are trending nicely. In their five spring events, they have finished in the top five in all of them. Runner-up finishes in the Mountain View Collegiate, and the Clemson Invitational should have the Aggies feeling good. First-year Cayetana Fernandez and junior Adela Cernousek will play a key role along with Blanca Fernandez.

As always, we will have coverage throughout the tournament.