IU Golf Course ready for last tourney

The IU women's golf team is looking to improve its scores by taking advantage of the players' knowledge of the IU Golf Club's course this weekend. They play host to the 22nd Indiana Invitational Saturday and Sunday. \n"Hosting our own tournament offers several advantages," said IU coach Clint Wallman. "We won't have to learn the course, and have the history of playing the course in our heads."\nOther advantages to hosting include knowing pin positions and course-specific strategies that help lower scores during a round, Wallman said.\nThe Hoosiers will tee it up on the IU Course, par 72, as part of what they claim is perhaps the most balanced field they've seen all year. Headlining the field will be the University of Notre Dame and the University of Wisconsin. However, no team competing this weekend is ranked nationally.\n"The field is more balanced than our first two tournaments," Wallman said. "Those tournaments were stacked; this one has very nice balance."\nReturning after a two-week break from competition, the Hoosiers will most specifically look to use their driving proficiency to their advantage. \n"There are quite a few holes where driving the ball well is an advantage," said junior Molly Redfearn. "We know where we want to play the ball, and if you haven't played the course much there are some holes that can get you in trouble."\nRedfearn, the team stroke average leader, and senior Bethany Brunner will lead a young squad into tournament play this weekend. Also competing in team play for the Hoosiers will be junior Katie Carlson and a trio of freshmen: Elaine Harris, Stephanie Mayotte and Gennifer Marrs. Freshman Kendal Hake, whose score will not count toward the team total, will compete as an individual.\nAs host of the tournament, Wallman hopes the Hoosiers can focus on the advantages they have and not become overwhelmed by expectations.\n"The main thing for us is to stay loose, and not put too much pressure on ourselves just because it is our own tournament," he said. \nRedfearn seemed to shrug off the idea of such anxiety.\n"I don't know that we put pressure on ourselves, we do get pretty excited to play in our own tournament though," she said.\nThe biggest advantage the team has going into this tournament may be the two-week break they've had from action and time they've spent practicing, Wallman said.\n"We've really been working on our short game," he said. "That is where this tournament will be won and lost." \n-- Contact Staff Writer Jake Brown at jab1@indiana.edu.