At the end of the day, the Iowa women’s golf team was in the same place it was in the morning at the Chip ’N’ Club Invitational: third place.

But there was still a sense of progress in the way the team played.

After a first day in which the Hawkeyes shot a combined 7-over par on the final three holes, they finished the last round in much stronger fashion. The team shot 2-over on the same holes in the final round.

“I thought we finished a lot better today,” head coach Megan Menzel said. “It was a little rough early on the front nine, and I thought they held it together really well.”

Junior Gigi DiGrazia, senior Chelsea Harris, and freshman Lauren English led the way for Iowa.

DiGrazia finished in a tie for 11th place after carding a 4-over 76. She parred 15 of 18 holes on the day, and her total score of 230 matched her career-best.

Harris fired a team-best 75 on Tuesday, which included two birdies and an eagle on the 11th hole. She finished tied for 13th place.

English shot a 78 in the final round, good for a tie for 15th place in her first tournament as a Hawkeye.

Junior Kristi Cardwell finished in a tie for 21st place after shooting an 80 on Tuesday. Freshman Shelby Phillips fell back from the pack after a strong start on the tournament’s first day, carding an 85 in the final round.

While Menzel noted that Phillips did have a “rough” day, she said she’s confident the freshman will bounce back well at the next tournament.

That chance will come at the Dick McGuire Invitational, in Albuquerque, N.M., on Sept. 25-26. 

— by Tork Mason