Indiana women’s golf finished in the top half of the Reynolds Lake Oconee Invitational at Great Waters Golf Course from February 17-19 in Eatonton, Georgia. They placed sixth out of 12 teams.
After round one, the Hoosiers sat in 10th with a score of 315 (+27). It looked to be going the same way it did when the Hoosiers finished last in the FAU Paradise Invitation earlier this month.
“There were definitely some jitters in that first round,” head coach Brian May said on Monday. “The conditions were doing us no favors.”
However, following their shaky start, the Hoosiers did well in the second round, finishing with a score of 297 (+9). That propelled them into the 7th spot. Then, in the third round, IU put on a performance for the ages, earning the best third-round score of all 12 teams with a 293 (+5) mark. The Hoosiers finished the tournament with a score of 905 (+41), their best finish since their last tournament of the fall when they also finished sixth at the Olde Stone Intercollegiate tournament.
“I was so proud of the team,” May said. “We showed a lot of grit and that will help us throughout the rest of the season.”
Georgia Southern University won the tournament with a final score of 895 (+31), while host Mercer University finished tied for fourth with a score of 904 (+40).
Senior Alexis Florio led the Hoosiers, finishing tied for fourth across the entire field with a final score of 220 (+4) which included nine birdies.
“Alexis is a really special player,” May explained. “She had a record-breaking performance in the fall then she struggled so this was huge for her confidence.”
Senior Valerie Clancy was next with a final score of 225 (+9) which was tied for 15th. Junior Dominika Burdová finished tied for 20th with a final score of 227 (+11). Senior Hanna Tanaka finished tied for 51st with a score of 237 (+21). Tanaka had a hole-in-one on the fourth hole during the final round, the first ace of the season for the Hoosiers. Sophomore Beatriz Junqueira rounded out the group with a score of 244 (+28) which was good for 64th.
The Hoosiers will play their next match at the Clover Cup at the Longbow Golf Club in Mesa Arizona from March 10-12.
Follow reporter Zeke Shapiro (@ZekesBoxTalk) for updates throughout the Indiana women’s golf season.
