Before the IU women's golf team finished its 2019 fall campaign, junior Priscilla Schmid had some unfinished business to take care of.
No IU women’s golfer had taken home an individual win since Mary Parsons in April. Schmid was close as she finished second in New Mexico earlier this year, but even that had her eager for more.
Battling 95 other golfers from some of the top programs in the country, Schmid ended her season on a high note by winning the Landfall Tradition tournament Sunday, shooting seven under par in Wilmington, North Carolina. She ended two strokes above the rest of the field.
In a three-day tournament with 18 holes per day, she shot a 69 on Friday, 72 on Saturday and 68 to close it out Sunday. The total score of 209 ties her lowest of the season, which came in the Branch Law Firm/Dick Mcguire Invitational this September. Despite several windy rounds, Schmid stuck with the game plan and never finished a round over par.
“The conditions were not very easy with the amount of wind there was,” Schmid said. “But if I played smart, I knew I had a chance.”
Not only was the wind a factor, but so was her sore wrist. For the third week in a row, Schmid was tending an injured wrist that created pain she said she could feel often. Even with that, she kept her preparation the same and came out to perform like any other weekend.
“It was unexpected,” she said. “I knew that the other girls were right there with me, so I just had to keep on going because you never know if it’s good enough.”
From a tactical standpoint, IU head coach Clint Wallman said he knew that Schmid had a chance from the start. The way the course is set up created opportunities for her game to shine.
“This course is set up for good iron play, and since Pri such a good ball striker,” Wallman said. “It was a course that she could take advantage of, and that’s what she did.”
As for the rest of the team, IU finished tied for seventh out of 18 schools. In an extremely competitive field, 13 of the teams are ranked in the top 45 nationally, but the Hoosiers had no issue with that.
“I was really happy with the way our girls played,” Wallman said. “It was a tough, competitive field, but a tournament like this shows that we can compete with the Big Ten and nationally as well.”
Joining Schmid on the flight east was junior Mary Parsons, sophomore Alexis Miestowski and freshmen Anni Eisenhut and Valerie Clancy. Parsons and Eisenhut finished six over par, while Clancy and Miestowski ended at 12 over par and 21 over par, respectively.
Despite Schmid being the clear top performer in this tournament for IU, it often switches among the players. Wallman said not having that obvious number one is a sign of strength, not weakness.
“We have a lot of depth on this team,” Wallman said. “Sometimes it’s Mary, last time it was Anni, this time it was Pri. It’s a good feeling to know that they have each other's backs.”
With the fall season over, the players will get to rest for a couple days, then they head right back to work. Each golfer will discuss a player improvement plan for the winter, so she can get ready for the first match in the spring.
The IU women’s golf team will be back in action Feb. 9 as it travels to Puerto Rico to compete in the Lady Puerto Rico Classic.
