With the Big Ten championships less than a week away, the Minnesota womenâÄôs golf team was hoping for a better outcome at the Lady Buckeye Spring Invite this past weekend.
With no Gophers golfers finishing in the top 20, the team earned a ninth-place finish at the Invite, struggling against a 12-team field that featured nine Big Ten teams.
After shooting a first round score of 312, Minnesota (81-51-1) struggled to find the pin for the rest of the weekend, finishing the tournament with rounds of 326 and 329.
Leading the Gophers was senior Teresa Puga who finished in a four-way tie for 28th. For the senior, it was her second worst finish of the season and was only the third time this season she has finished outside the top 20.
Shooting a final score of 244, senior Michele Edlin finished in 36th, while fellow senior Mary Narzisi finished right behind her in 37th by scoring a 245 on the weekend. The rest of MinnesotaâÄôs lineup finished outside the top 40.
Considering that Minnesota was only able to beat one Big Ten team âÄî Iowa âÄî the Gophers will need to make some quick improvements in order to have any success at the Big Ten championships this weekend at the Lake Shore Country Club in Chicago.
Men stumble, also place ninth
After piecing together a string of successful tournaments, the Minnesota menâÄôs golf team tripped up at the Illini Spring Classic with a ninth-place finish.
The Gophers carded rounds of 316 and 296, as they were unable to keep their recent hot streak going. SundayâÄôs final round was canceled due to rain delays.
Senior Donald Constable led all Minnesota golfers by shooting 147 and finishing in a tie for seventh. For the Wayzata, Minn., native, it was his second consecutive top-10 finish and third top 10 of the season. Constable has not finished outside the top 20 the entire season.
The next best golfer for Minnesota was Erik Van Rooyen, who finished in a tie for 18th. It was the seventh top-20 finish of the season for the sophomore.
Despite the strong play of Constable and Van Rooyen, the rest of the Minnesota lineup was unable to finish better than 54th, holding the Gophers back from a better finish.
The ninth-place finish is a big step back for the Gophers in two ways.
For one, with only two tournaments remaining, MinnesotaâÄôs record now stands at 49-54-3, putting the team five wins under the mandatory .500 record that is necessary for the Gophers to be eligible for the NCAA tournament.
Additionally, while the Gophers did manage to beat three Big Ten teams at the tournament, the team still lost to six Big Ten opponents, which is a definite concern of the Gophers, considering that the Big Ten championships are only two weeks away.
This weekend the Gophers will head to Columbus, Ohio, to participate in the Robert Kepler Invitational.
