Women's golf finishes 5th at Briar's Creek Invitational

The IU women’s golf team finished in fifth place Tuesday at the Briar’s Creek Invitational in St. John’s, S.C.

The Hoosiers continued a solid season of performances with a finish that gives them eight top-10 finishes in nine events this year.

Conditions for the tournament proved difficult as the team had to battle blustery conditions for both days of competition.

The Hoosiers put up scores of 315-307-296 for a 54-hole tally of 918, just four shots out of second place on a tight leaderboard.

“I was really pleased with the effort today,” IU Coach Clint Wallman said. “We put ourselves in a position to win, and while we didn’t quite get it done, I am
proud of what they accomplished.

“The conditions really weren’t any better today, but they pushed through the winds and firm greens to post some really solid numbers.”

Senior Kate Coons tied for fourth, shooting a final round 69 that saw five birdies.

Wallman said he was impressed with the performance after the round.
“That was arguably one of the best rounds of her career,” Wallman said.

The next best individual finish for the Hoosiers came from senior Rosie Davies, who finished the tournament tied for 13th. She was able to post a three round total of 228 (74-74-80) in the windy conditions.  

Prior to the first day of competition, which was suspended Monday due to darkness, Davies was in a tie for fourth.

Graduate student Kristen Schelling was able to crack the top 25, tieing for 25th with a score of 232 (81-78-73).

After finding herself tied for 46th after the first round of play, she recovered and wound up with the top-25 finish.

Another Hoosier that demonstrated poise was sophomore Elizabeth Tong. After posting first-round totals of 83-82, she was able to bounce back with a 74 in her final round that included three birdies.

Rounding out the five Hoosiers was freshman Marissa DeCola, who shot a 9-over-81 Tuesday to tie for 75th with 243 points (82-80-81). She was put into an early hole by a triple-bogey at the beginning of her round Tuesday, but she gained a stroke with a birdie on the 10th hole and shot pars six of the next eight holes.  

Notre Dame was crowned tournament champion with a 906, followed by Maryland (914), Coastal Carolina (916) and Campbell (917).  

The individual champion honors went to Ashley Armstrong from Notre Dame, who shot a 1-over par 217 for the tournament.

The Hoosiers will begin to tune up for a Big Ten title run in their last two events of the 2013 season. They get back in action April 13-14 as they play host to the Indiana Invitational at the IU Golf Course.

IU concludes the regular season April 20-21 at the Lady Buckeye Invitational in Columbus, Ohio.