Hoosiers end up 14th in Central District Invitational

A certain groove and momentum is necessary to move from the off-season into full play in the spring, IU Coach Clint Wallman said.

The Hoosiers struggled to move into contention at the Central District Invitational at River Wilderness Country Club, where they tied for 14th with Michigan. Texas Christian University was victorious with an 882-tournament total at the 54-hole stroke play event. IU finished the two-day event from Feb. 20 to 21 at 929.

“I thought we had reasonable play, especially for our first tournament of the spring,” Wallman said in a press release after the first day of competition. “The things we have been working on, our patience and putting, we did really well.”

Wallman said the team needs to take advantage of its scoring opportunities and be efficient with
its shots.

“We gave ourselves a lot of opportunities to score, but didn’t as much as we liked,” Wallman said. “Our lack of playing and competition led to that.”

Among the 15-team field, the IU squad finished seven strokes behind Northwestern University, which took 13th. After playing 36 holes the first day, the Hoosiers sat alone in 14th place, with senior co-captain Kristtini Cain leading the team with rounds of 76 and 75. Cain posted a 79 in the final round to tie for 42nd with junior teammate Pam Burneski.

Burneski dropped six strokes from her second to third round, recording an 80-78-72 for the event. In the final round, Burneski made three birdies en route to her even-par finish. She said keeping her consistency and thinking about her own game helped her stay calm throughout the rounds.  

“I was able to keep my patience the whole week,” Burneski said. “I knew what I needed to get done to stay out of trouble.”

In the Nassau event on Feb. 18 against Wisconsin University at the same golf course, Burneski also led the way for IU, where she posted all three points for her match.

Burneski said she appreciated the competitive experience throughout the three days, which will help IU as it moves forward.

“The more we play and have competitive exposure, it’ll only make us better and stronger,” Burneski said. “It was a good experience to play against top teams in the country. The more we play there, the better off we’ll be.”

Junior Rosie Davies finished four strokes back with a 234-tournament total to tie for 59th, junior co-captain Kate Coons posted a 236 to place 68th, and freshman Elizabeth Tong took 71st at 239.

Coons said that, overall, the team made improvements in the areas it worked on in the off-season, such as putting.

The Hoosiers return to action Feb. 26 and 27 at the Westbrook Spring Invitational at the Westbrook Village Golf Club in Peoria, Ariz.

“It’s all about getting the golf ball in the hole faster, getting the rust off from the winter months and making some more putts,” Coons said.

Pamela Burneski
Tied for 42nd with a total score of 230

Rosie Davies
Tied for 59th with a total score of 234

Kate Coons
Tied for 68th with a total score of 236

Elizabeth Tong
Tied for 71st with a total score of 239

Kristtini Cain
Tied for 42nd with a total score of 230