Lady Buckeye Invitational marks team's last regular-season tournament

The IU women’s golf team will close its regular-season schedule this weekend with the 54-hole Lady Buckeye Invitational on the Scarlet Course at the Ohio State University Golf Club.

The Hoosiers come into the tournament fresh off a victory last week in their event at home, the Indiana Invitational.

The tournament will kick off at 8:30 a.m. Saturday and will feature a strong contingent of teams such as Iowa, Illinois, Kent State, Michigan State, Northwestern, Ohio State, Purdue, Penn State, Wisconsin and Youngstown State.

After last week’s victory, sophomore Elizabeth Tong was named Big Ten Golfer of the Week for the second time this season after she fired a 1-over 217 to capture the individual crown.

The other Hoosiers entering the tournament are senior Kate Coons, senior Rosie Davies, graduate student Kristen Schelling, freshman Marissa DeCola and senior Pamela Burneski. Coons (tied-3rd), Davies (tied-9th) and Schelling (tied-9th) all posted top-10 finishes last weekend. Burneski is coming off an injury and hasn’t played since February. 

This weekend’s event will be the last opportunity for the Hoosiers to get into top form before the Big Ten Championships roll around. The conference tournament will be held from April 26-28 at the Donald Ross Golf Course at the French Lick Resort in French Lick, Ind.

Last season, the Hoosiers finished 12th in the Big Ten Championships, but with such an experienced group, they will surely look to improve on that result next week.

- Andy Waldo