The IU women’s golf team got off to another slow start this weekend, but the Hoosiers didn’t let that stop them from stepping up their game in the closing rounds.
The Hoosiers shot a team score of 909 (+45) to finish 13th at the Clover Cup in Mesa, Arizona, on Sunday. Tournament champion Arizona State finished 71 strokes ahead of IU with a team score of 838 (-26), and host Notre Dame shot 887 (+23) to finish 22 strokes ahead of IU.
Once again, the Hoosiers struggled in the first round of the tournament and finished the first day in 14th place at 22-over-par. However, IU improved its play in the last two days to shoot 299 (+11) in round two and closed the tournament with a 300 (+12) in the third and final round.
The slow start hurt the Hoosiers, and IU was the only team without a player finishing in the top 40 in the individual standings, but IU Coach Clint Wallman said the team improved from its performance last month at the Westbrook Invitational.
Wallman said the course this weekend was more difficult than the course at Westbrook and that hid some of the improvements the Hoosiers made.
“We played better than we did at Westbrook even though the scores are fairly close,” Wallman said. “We were definitely much stronger here, especially our middle round, and today we played pretty well, but we made too many mistakes.”
Senior Theresa-Ann Jedra battled a sinus infection and allergies as she led the way for IU with a three-round score of 226 (+10) and finished tied for 43rd in the individual standings. Jedra shot up the standings on the final day of the tournament, and she closed with a 73 (+1).
Jedra said her health issues affected her throughout the tournament but said being sick helped her focus more on her game.
“I really focused on my targets and kept myself in it, and when the round was over, and I went to the hotel and relaxed,” Jedra said. “I actually think it helped me play better and focus more, and I was really proud of how I stuck in there. Especially at the end, I was pretty tired, but I stuck with it.”
Senior Ana Sanjuan took a step backward from her top-10 finish in the previous tournament. She shot 230 (+14) and finished tied for 58th individually. This was Sanjuan’s first time finishing outside of the top 50 in the individual standings this season.
Sanjuan said she didn’t play her best golf this weekend, but she was proud of the way her teammates played, and she expects better scores to come as the Hoosiers reach the end of the season.
Sophomore Erin Harper struggled early but closed out strong by shooting 74 (+2) in both of the final two rounds. Junior Alix Kong made her return to tournament action as one of four Hoosiers to compete as an individual and shot the Hoosiers’ best round of the weekend with a 69 (-3) in the second round.
Wallman said the Hoosiers will work on putting and finishing holes before they return to action. IU hits the links again on April 2 when it travels to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, where Iowa will be host to the Hawkeye El Tigre Invitational.
