The Iowa women’s golf team will travel to Columbus, Ohio, this weekend to take part in the Lady Buckeye Invitational.
The 54-hole tournament is set to be held Saturday and April 22 at the Scarlet Course at the Ohio State University Golf Club.
The Hawkeyes are fresh off a first-place finish at the Cowgirl Classic, their only title of the 2011-12 season. Head coach Megan Menzel said the result helps her team as it heads into its final tournament before the Big Ten championships.
"It was great to pick up that first victory; it was a really good team effort by everybody, and it gives us a lot of confidence going into the next two events," she said. "Overall, we’ve tried to go out each tournament, and get a little better, and stay focused on the task at hand. We’re doing a lot better at that."
The 11-team field in Columbus will comprise seven conference opponents: Northwestern, Nebraska, Illinois, Michigan State, Minnesota, Penn State, and host Ohio State. Baylor, Iowa State, and Kent State will round out the remaining competition.
The Hawkeyes will have the same lineup that finished first at the Cowgirl Classic: senior Chelsea Harris, juniors Kristi Cardwell and GiGi DiGrazia, sophomore Kelly Grouwinkel, and freshmen Shelby Phillips and Lauren English.
Cardwell, last week’s Big Ten Co-Golfer of the Week, set career-bests for 18 holes (68), 36 holes (138), and 54 holes (213) at the Cowgirl Classic.
Iowa will try to improve on last year’s result at the Lady Buckeye Invitational; the team finished 11th with a 54-hole, 133-over 997.
— by Alex French