The IU women’s golf team had the momentum to jump in the standings going into the Hawkeye ‘El Tigre’ Invitational, but the Hoosiers couldn’t hold on in the final round.
The Hoosiers finished tied for 12th out of 14 teams with an overall score of 911(+47) for the tournament in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, on Tuesday. IU finished 38 strokes behind tournament champion Washington.
IU was the fourth best finisher of the five Big Ten teams to compete in the tournament and finished within two strokes of ninth-place Nebraska and tournament host Iowa, which tied for 10th.
The Hoosiers finished the first day in a tie for ninth place with a team score of 307(+19) and moved up to be tied for seventh after shooting a 298(+10) in round two. However, the Hoosiers couldn’t keep up the pace from the second round and finished the tournament with a 306(+18) in Tuesday’s final round.
IU Coach Clint Wallman said the Hoosiers did a lot of good things but also said the difficult nature of the course made it tough on his team.
“If you hit it sideways on any of the water holes you’re in for a big number,” Wallman said. “There’s a lot of birdies out there and there’s a lot of big numbers out there, and if you can keep it in play, you’re doing pretty good.”
Sophomore Erin Harper led the way for IU with a three-round score of 221(+5) to finish tied for 20th in the individual standings. Harper had the best individual round of the tournament for IU when she shot a 71(-1) in round two. She closed out the tourney strong with a 73(+1).
Wallman said Harper put in a lot of work on her swing as well as her mental game and that it showed in her performance. Harper said she felt like she was returning to form after missing significant time in the fall due to illness.
“My ball striking was pretty good the whole tournament,” Harper said. “I kind of struggled today, but overall I just kept my game the way it should be, swung normally and everything turned out good.”
Senior Ana Sanjuan struggled for the second tournament in a row and shot a three-round score of 232(+16). Junior Alix Kong shot a 229(+13) in her first tournament competing for the team this spring, with her best round coming in round two when she shot a 75(+3).
Both Sanjuan and Kong were dealing with shoulder tendinitis before the tournament, but Wallman said that didn’t affect their play in Mexico.
Freshman Emma Fisher competed as an individual and finished tied for 35th with a 227(+11). Fisher closed out the tournament with a 72(E), which was good for the second-best round of the tournament for IU.
Wallman said there were a lot of positives to take away from the tournament for his team, especially on such a difficult course.
“They hit a lot of good shots,” Wallman said. “I think they made a lot of good decisions. There was a lot of good taken away from this, we just need to sustain it for 54 holes instead of 45.”
The Hoosiers return to play this weekend as they kick off their first and only home tournament of the season. The IU Spring Invitational will begin play Saturday and wrap up Sunday.
