Ford wins first career tournament; team finishes 2nd

The IU women's golf team traveled to the Lady Boilermaker Invitational in West Lafayette Saturday and Sunday to play against a majority of its conference opponents, whom it will face again this weekend at the Big Ten Championships in Columbus, Ohio.\nSunday's final round was anything but easy for senior Danah Ford, who entered the day in the lead by nine shots. Winds gusting in excess of 40 miles per hour made the conditions tough for all. Ford struggled in her final round, firing an 82, but still won the tournament by three strokes over Northwestern's Alice Kim. \nThe Hoosiers, like every team, struggled in Sunday's high winds. Their final round 326 dropped them into second place as Michigan State carded a 316 to win the tournament by four strokes. The only Hoosier to shoot under 80 was senior Karen Dennison, who fired a 78 to finish in fourth place at 229. She has finished in the top 10 in her last four tournaments.\nThe Hoosiers wasted no time Saturday as they proved they were one of the favorites to win the tournament.\nAn opening-round 298 tied the Hoosiers for first place with tournament host Purdue. The IU women matched their score in the second round, and their 298 was five strokes better than any other team in the afternoon. After Saturday's play, the team was in sole possession of first place by six strokes over Michigan State.\nFord had never won a tournament in her career at IU going into the Lady Boiler, but she set herself up by firing an opening-round 71 and then backing it up with a career low round of 68. Ford's two-round total of 139 was eight strokes lower than her previous 36-hole total, and her four-under-par 68 was one stroke off the all-time IU record of 67, set by Jennifer Gray in 1997.\nDennison sat in the top 10 after Saturday, as her 151 (75-76) was good enough for a tie for eighth. She was the only Hoosier Sunday to shoot under 80. Her 78 earned her a fourth-place finish with a total of 229. Dennison was happy to see fellow senior Ford finally break through to win a tournament.\n"Danah needed to get a win," Dennison said. "She has played so well in her career and never been able to get a win, so it great to see her win today."\nAlong with the high winds, a long course with tough pin positions made play even more difficult. Ford said she knew she wasn't playing her best Sunda, but she didn't get nervous coming down the stretch.\n"It's interesting, but I have never looked at the scoreboard," Ford said. "My dad told me when I got done (Sunday) that I actually had a nine-shot lead starting the day. I kept telling myself it was four, so I think that if I would have known it was more, I would have been more nervous. I really wasn't nervous today; I was just frustrated because the course was so hard."\nBishop also set a new personal 36-hole mark with a score of 150 (74-76) and was alone in seventh heading into Sunday's final round. She then shot a final-round 83 to finish at 233, good enough to tie for 14th -- her highest finish of the year. Bishop said she is happy to be playing better even though the conditions did not merit good scores Sunday.\n"I've been confident this spring, but now, I'm finally starting to score like I should be," Bishop said. "I was disappointed with my finish, but this was a good test to get us ready for the Big Ten tournament."\nSophomore Molly Redfearn also finished in the top 30 for the sixth time this season with a 242 (78-80-84), good enough for a tie for 29th. Rounding out the Hoosiers' lineup at the Lady Boiler were junior Bethany Brunner and senior Mary Lidester. Brunner finished tied for 44th with a three-round score of 249 (85-81-83), and Lidester finished tied for 49th at 251 (81-78-92).\nThe Hoosiers will compete in the Big Ten Championships Friday through Sunday at the Ohio State Scarlet Course in Columbus, Ohio.\n-- Contact staff writer David Paulen at dpaulen@indiana.edu.