In search of completing its first tournament without weather-related issues this season, the Minnesota women’s golf team will head to University Park, Pa., for the Lady Northern Invitational.

The Gophers’ first tournament of the year was cancelled due to unfavorable weather conditions. This tournament will provide an opportunity for Minnesota to finish its first tournament and compete against other conference foes.

“It will be nice to compete with other Big Ten teams on the course we will play at for the Big Tens,” sophomore Christine Herzog said.

Coach Brad James said the mindset of the team going into this tournament is to improve individually and to become familiar with the course so they will be able to perform better in the future.

“We have a lot of work that needs to be done this week and it gives me an opportunity to get away from the office and work with the girls,” James said.

There is also opportunity for some good things to come out of this tournament because junior Sydney Liles said the team is prepared for the Lady Northern Invitational.

“Practice has been really good,” Liles said. “Coach James has been working us hard and he has us focused.”

Competing with Liles this weekend will be teammate’s freshman Samantha Sommers, freshman Mary Narzisi, junior Young Na Lee and junior Paige Bromen.

None of the women on the roster have played at the par-72, 6,300-yard University Park golf course, but Minnesota has a plan in place to overcome that obstacle.

“We don’t want to worry about external factors and just worry about what you do on the course,” Herzog said.

With this strategy in place the Gophers will battle fellow Big Ten teams Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin. They will also compete against non-Big Ten foes Eastern Michigan, Toledo, Kent State and Rollins.

A benefit of the college golf season is that events played in the fall are more of a warm up.

The real season begins in the spring, which includes the Big Ten Championships and the NCAA Championships. With that being the case Minnesota will head into the Lady Northern tournament with the prospect of victory, but more importantly an attitude of improvement.

“For me if we win, we win,” James said. “It’s really about working on individual things that is important.”

Men Compete at Ping

Minnesota will get a chance to gauge themselves against some of the best men’s golf programs in the country this weekend, as they travel to West Lafayette, Ind.

The Ping Preview is an event where the NCAA Championships will be held this spring. The tournament will be an early chance for the Gophers to get a look at the course and compete against possible NCAA Championship competition.

“It is an elite tournament,” Coach Brad James said. “It is made up of the top fifteen teams in the country.”