IU finishes 15th in weekend's Lady Puerto Rico Classic

What hampered play for his squad wasn't a mystery to IU women's golf coach Clint Wallman as it played this past weekend at the Lady Puerto Rico Classic in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico. \n"We did some good things ... but I thought the wind gave us some trouble," the coach said.\nHeavy winds and the rust of an offseason were two big factors that kept the IU women's golf team from hitting full stride in its first event of the spring season. Not that all was bad: the Hoosiers' overall score of 969 (322-321-326) put the Hoosiers in 15th place after all was said and done. \nSenior Shannon Johnson spearheaded the charge for the cream and crimson as she continued to show why she is one of the best in the Big Ten after carding 17 consecutive rounds of below 80. She fired a 73 on the opening day and followed with rounds of 78 and 77, respectively. Her three-day score of 228 was good enough for a 31st finish overall.\n"For her first time out of the gate this season, I thought Shannon played a very solid round," Wallman said. "She was steady throughout, and I think it is a great start for her." \nJohnson wasn't the only Hoosier to shoot a sub-80 round, as freshman Tara Boone and sophomore Elaine Harris were also up to the task. The two shot rounds of 79 on the second day. Boone, playing in her first career tournament, also stroked rounds of 84 and 83 to finish with a 246, good for a multi-individual tie at 75th. Harris, who has continued to blossom since a great run in the Lady Northern Invitational in the fall, finished with a 240(80-79-81) good for 60th place overall. \n"I think Tara played a really good round, considering this is her first collegiate event," Wallman said. "Elaine played a good round but had one bad hole, which really hurt her score. Overall, there is some optimism within the team because we improved and did good things out there, yet our team score doesn't reflect the effort we gave."\nThree other Hoosiers made the trip and had impressive outings. Freshman Amber Lindgren showcased her consistency by firing three consecutive rounds of 85 to finish with a 255. Senior Katie Carlson showed improvement each day as she opened with an 88, followed by a round of 86 and finished with an 85. Also on the trip and playing as an individual was senior Molly Redfearn who fired rounds of 83, 88 and 90 to finish with a 261. \nOverall, Wallman was happy with the start of the team's spring season but knows there is much room for improvement.\n"I thought we played well this weekend, considering we had to fight through the rust of the offseason and it being our first tournament this spring," Wallman said. "I feel some of the problems we encountered are something we can work through and learn from, which will only benefit us down the road."\nThe University of Florida won the classic by firing 885 followed by an 887 from Purdue University and an 888 from the University of Arkansas.