After conquering Southern Illinois just one week earlier, the
Michigan women’s golf team was stymied in Hoosier country,
finishing a disappointing ninth place at the Indiana Invitational
over the weekend. The Wolverines were again led by junior Laura
Olin, who has now paced the team in its last nine tournaments.
After an impressive showing last weekend at the Saluki
Invitational, where Michigan won the team competition and Olin took
home medalist honors with a score of 148, the Wolverines struggled
to bring in low numbers.
“It was disappointing,” coach Kathy Teichert said.
“You can’t shoot 80s and expect to compete in the Big
Ten.”
The tournament in Bloomington also offered stiffer competition
for the Wolverines, as they faced a field that included five other
Big Ten teams. Michigan finished with a team total of 955, which
put it fourth among its conference foes. The Wolverines placed
higher than Wisconsin and Minnesota, but fell to Iowa, Indiana and
Michigan State. Missouri took home the team competition with a 908,
catapulted by an even-par 296 in the final round.
After a slow start on the first day of the tournament put them
in ninth place, harsh conditions made it difficult for the
Wolverines to catch up to the rest of the field.
“(Yesterday) morning it was extremely cold and windy
throughout the day,” Teichert said. “I felt we played
better than our score indicated, but we didn’t play our last
six or seven holes very well.”
As for Olin, whose success has been closely linked to that of
the team, it was also a matter of making up ground after a slow
start on Saturday. Sitting in 31st-place after the first two
rounds, Olin fired a three-over-par 77 to finish with a total of
235 and a tie for 17th-place overall.
“It was cold and windy and we didn’t play up to our
personal expectations,” Olin said. “We had goals set
and we didn’t accomplish those goals.”
The weekend wasn’t without bright spots for the Wolverines
as sophomore Brandi Zielinski fired a career-best 77 in the second
round, and freshman Brianna Broderick carded an opening-round
74.
Despite the disappointing finish, Teichert is optimistic about
the team and its future.
“There were a lot of signs of good play,” she said.
“With a break here or there, or a momentum change, there may
have resulted a totally different outcome. We just have to get out
and play right now because we have to figure out a way to get the
ball in the hole.”
The Wolverines now head back to Ann Arbor with two weeks to
practice before heading back out on the road for their next event,
the Lady Boilermaker Invitational on April 17 and 18.