Team struggles to 12th place finish

The winter weather claimed yet another victim this week. The No. 19 IU women's golf team was unable to get back into its groove after flying high from its hot fall start in which the team won two team championships and placed well in every tournament.\nThe team has been unable to practice outdoors due to the weather and has spent the time practicing indoors. At the Central District Invitational in Parrish, Fla., IU finished in 12th place out of 15 teams with a total score of 943. Tuesday's round of 308 was nine shots better than its previous best round. Big Ten rival Ohio State captured the team championship with a 909.\nJunior Karen Dennison had an opportunity to win her third straight individual title, something that no other female Hoosier golfer had done. Dennison began the day in a tie for 4th place but finished in 8th place following a final round of 75. \n"I really didn't hit the ball that great today," Dennison said. "I need to work on my wedge game a lot more and tune up my putting." \nMichigan, Michigan State and Illinois were the other Big Ten schools that finished ahead of IU.\nDennison attributed the trend to the fact that the team has been forced to practice indoors since the beginning of February because of the weather.\n"The wedges are the hardest things to get into rhythm with. You have to be outside and be able to see where each shot lands," Dennison said. "You can't do that indoors. It's just a matter of time before we get back outside and start practicing."\nCoach Sam Carmichael thought the team shot better on Tuesday than it did on Monday, but also claims the weather back home contributed to the team's performance.\n"We played a little better today (Tuesday), but it's still early in the season," Carmichael said. "We haven't practiced at all outside, and that's just what we need to do." \nDennison's performance led the team, as she shot a 225. Junior Danah Ford finished in a tie for 32nd place. Senior Cara Stuckey shot a final round 76 to finish in a tie for 47th place. Juniors Ambry Bishop and Mary Lidester struggled in the final round to find their strokes and finished in a tie for 53rd and 73rd respectively. \nIU tees off next Monday and Tuesday at the Verizon "Mo" Morial in Houston.