Indiana women’s golf finished its penultimate fall season tournament Sunday afternoon at the Evie Odom Invitational in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The Hoosiers scored an 887, 47-over par to finish 11th in the 15-team field.
Indiana started strong, firing a 287, 7-over par to settle in fourth place after the first round. Fifth-year senior Caroline Craig, senior Dominka Burdova and sophomore Faith Johnson each shot 71, 1-over par to help the Hoosiers tie their season-best single round.
A second round of 301, 21-over par plummeted the Hoosiers in the standings down to 11th. None of Indiana’s starting five scored better than a 75, 5-over par in the round.
The Hoosiers clung on to 11th place in the final round with a closing score of 299, 19-over par. Indiana finished two strokes ahead of 12th place California State University, Sacramento, and three strokes ahead of two schools tied for 13th.
The Johnson twins — sophomores Faith and Chloe — tied as Indiana’s top scorers, each carding a score of 221, 11-over par. The pair tied for 34th place.
Burdova finished just one stroke behind the Johnsons at 222, 12-over par. Burdova tied for 40th.
Craig struggled following her first-round 71 and finished with a 225, 15-over par to tie for 52nd. She scored a 79, 9-over in the final round.
Redshirt junior Caroline Smith rounded out Indiana’s lineup with a three-round score of 228, 18-over par. Smith had one birdie during the weekend.
Similar to the Glass City Invitational, Indiana struggled to convert birdie opportunities. The Hoosiers sank 25 birdies over the weekend, which ranked 12th in the field. Craig led the team in birdies with eight, C. Johnson finished with seven and Burdova notched six plus an eagle.
Indiana found most of its success on par 4s. The Hoosiers averaged a score of 4.15 for an 18-over total on par 4s, which was fifth in the field. Burdova feasted on the par 4s, going 4-under for an average of 3.83 — tied for third in the field among individuals.
Indiana defeated the only other Big Ten team in the field —13th place Penn State. The Nittany Lions finished three strokes behind the Hoosiers. Indiana finished 10 strokes behind 10th place University of Notre Dame.
Next up the Hoosiers will play in their fall season finale at the Ally Invitational. The tournament will take place Oct. 23-25 in Starkville, Mississippi, hosted by Mississippi State University.
Follow reporter Will Foley (@foles24) for updates throughout the Indiana women’s golf season.
