Scorecard issue pushes IU into 2nd place finish

After building a 12-stroke lead in the first two rounds of the Hoosier Fall Invitational this weekend, the Indiana women’s golf team finished second at the event in Florence, Ind., with a total score of 896.

When the players came off the course, the scores showed Indiana had won by two strokes, but freshman Marissa DeCola was disqualified for signing an incorrect scorecard.

Because her third round score of 80 was ineligible, the Hoosiers were forced to use senior Kate Coons’ 84. This gave Wisconsin a two-stroke victory.

“I obviously was disappointed that we finished second,” IU Coach Clint Wallman said. “We played well enough to win, so it was more disappointing for the girls, I think. But, you know, there are some positives that we can take away, and we proved that we can play at a high level.”

The Hoosiers’ second round total of 285 was their lowest of the season and helped them pull ahead of the rest of the field on day one.

The team shot a 316 in a third round plagued with weather conditions that inflated the scores of almost every team. All but two of the 13 teams had their worst round on Sunday.

Graduate student Kristen Schelling led Indiana, finishing tied for third individually with a score of 219 (75-70-74).

Her 74 was the only Hoosier score below 79 in the third round.

“(Kristen) played really solid all weekend and had a really good round on a challenging day,” Wallman said. “There was lots of wind and lots of weather, and she thrived in those conditions, and that’s what we needed from her.”

Sophomore Elizabeth Tong contributed from the team’s fifth position with a total of 222 (75-68-79).

Wallman said Tong rebounded from a disappointing finish in her last tournament to place sixth individually.

“Elizabeth turned in a good performance,” Wallman said. “There’s no doubt about that. She definitely bounced back from her last tournament and showed that she is a quality player, and she had an impressive tournament.”

Senior Rosie Davies was the third Hoosier to occupy a top-ten spot on the individual leaderboard, finishing tied for ninth with a 225 (73-73-79).

“When you have three players in the top ten, it shows really good scoring from top to bottom in the lineup,” Wallman said. “Those three did a great job this entire event laying the foundation for our team.”

Coons rounded out the Hoosiers’ first squad, finishing tied for 41st with 238 overall (73-81-84).

The Indiana “B” squad finished in 12th place and was led by senior Pamela Burneski’s 234.

The Hoosiers’ next tournament, and last before the winter offseason, will be Oct. 21-23 at the Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown.

“We have a really short turnaround time for this tournament,” Wallman said. “We need to work on our chipping and putting and some other things, but the best preparation for us would be to get some rest and get ready to execute what needs to be done.”