IU finishes 14th in Puerto Rico, season-worst

IU coach Clint Wallman and the IU women’s golf team opened up the 2010 spring season tournament schedule with a 14th-place finish in the Lady Puerto Rico Classic.

Despite playing in one of the toughest fields in the nation, the Hoosiers got off to a hot start with a 304 in round one, putting them in sixth place. A second-round 316 total dropped IU to 13th out of the 16-team field. The Hoosiers closed the
tournament with a 321 on Tuesday in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

“It was one of those things where we were not very sharp,” Wallman said. “We didn’t hit it very well, and when we had a mistake we usually compounded it.”

The Hoosiers were led by senior Laura Nochta, who finished 23rd individually with a 227 total. Nochta, the 2009 Lady Puerto Rico Classic champion, started the tournament with rounds of 72 and 74, which put her in sixth place individually, but she closed with an 81 in Tuesday’s final round.

Freshman Jacqueline Yanch continued her steady play from the end of the fall season with a 46th place individually. Yanch had the low round for the Hoosiers on Tuesday with a final round 78.

Senior Kellye Belcher opened the tournament with two rounds of 77 before closing with an 81 for a 53rd-place finish.

The 14th-place finish for the Hoosiers is the lowest of the season after finishing in the top eight of every fall event.

Wallman said he will look at lineup changes and continue to work on the players’ short games to find solutions to their problems.

“We have to look at everything, and hopefully we can get out there and hit some short game shots,” Wallman said.

– Kevin Bowen