Hoosiers place 4th in Arizona

The IU women’s golf team tied for fourth at the Westbrook Spring Invitational at the Westbrook Village Golf Club in Peoria, Ariz., after moving up the leaderboard on the final day of competition Monday.

This result represents a significant improvement from their Feb. 12 tournament in Puerto Rico when they finished 14th. IU Coach Clint Wallman said he was glad to see a much more confident team competing this weekend.

“The great thing about this weekend was we got better with each round,” Wallman said. “We got a nice shot of confidence after finishing this high in a strong field for sure. It was a great success for us.”

The Hoosiers fired a 292 on Monday, their best round of the 54-hole tournament, to finish at 903 (306-305-292).

Graduate student Kristen Schelling led the Hoosiers in individual tournament scoring after posting a 1-under-par-71 Monday to finish tied for sixth.

Sophomore Elizabeth Tong fired a 70 on Monday to climb up the leader board to tie for 13th. She was 2-under par through her first 10 holes but faced some adversity after bogeying back-to-back holes midway through her round.

She demonstrated mental resilience by making birdies on consecutive holes near the end of her round to finish with a round of 70.

Wallman said he was very proud of the mental toughness all of his players displayed in Monday’s final round.

“All of the girls on this team are capable of shooting low scores,” he said. “It’s all about mental confidence with this team. Kristen and Elizabeth both stepped up their games this weekend, but so did everyone else. The key to them is how they don’t let a bad round affect them.”

Senior Rosie Davies tied for 42nd with a 77 to finish at 231 (75-79-77). She closed out her weekend strong as well with birdies on two of the last three holes. 

Senior Kate Coons carded her low round of the tournament on Monday with a 74, finishing tied for 48th (82-77-74) for a three-day tournament total of 233. 

Senior Pamela Burneski tied for 64th after posting a 79 in the final round, finishing at a total score of 238 (80-79-79). She also finished with a birdie on her closing hole of the tournament, the par-5 eighth hole.

Rounding out the Hoosiers scoring was junior Sophie Hayashi competing as an individual, placing 73rd with 246 (84-78-84).

Texas Tech won the event with a score of 862, followed by Arkansas (867), Washington (874) and Indiana and Mississippi State, who tied at 903.

Arkansas golfer Gabriela Lopez carded a 6-under par 66 Monday to win the individual title by two strokes.

The Hoosiers return to competitive action once again in Arizona on March 15 and 16 at the Mountain View Collegiate in Tucson, Ariz.