Indiana women’s golf finished at the bottom of the 14-team tournament at the FAU Paradise Invitational at Osprey Point from Feb. 6-7 in Boca Raton, Florida.
After round one, the Hoosiers sat in 13th with a score of 297 (+9), just a few strokes from getting into the top half. In the second, IU got up to eighth before struggling in the second half of the round. They would close the day with a score of 597 (+21).
“The second went the way it did because of fatigue, both physical and mental,” head coach Brian May said. “We just struggled to get it going after the first.”
The third round was more of the same, as the Hoosiers struggled to get any momentum going. They would close round three with a score of 305 (+17) and finished with a total team score of 902 (+38).
Fellow Big Ten schools Nebraska and Wisconsin finished 2nd and 12th respectively with scores of 860 (-4), and 884 (+20). No. 19-ranked Vanderbilt won the tournament by a landslide with an eye-catching 835 (-29) score, which was 25 strokes better than second place Wisconsin.
Senior Valerie Clancy led the Hoosiers, finishing tied for 22nd individually with a score of 218 (+2) which included an impressive nine birdies.
“Valerie has been improving since the end of the fall season,” May said. “She was pretty frustrated about how the fall went and was very motivated coming into this tournament.”
Junior Dominika Burdová was next with a final score of 220 (+4) which was tied for 30th. Senior transfer Alexis Florio, who broke two school records in the fall, finished tied for 67th with a score of 232 (+16). Sophomore Margaret Fernandez tied for 71st with a score of 234 (+18), while Junior Morgan Dabagia finished in 75th with a final score of 242 (+26).
The Hoosiers will play their next match from Feb. 17-19 at the Mercer Spring Invitational at the Great Waters Course in Reynolds Lake Oconee, Georgia.
Follow reporter Zeke Shapiro (@ZekesBoxTalk) for updates throughout the Indiana women’s golf season.
