Season ends with seventh place finish at Big Tens

After a season that featured a couple of near-victories and the first collegiate golf season of standout freshman Lindsay Gahm, the IU women’s golf team finished its season Sunday in Glencoe, Ill., at the Big Ten Women’s Golf Championships.

It finished the 72-hole tournament in seventh place with a team score of 1,221, 69 shots over par on the par-72 Lake Shore Country Club golf course.

After starting Sunday’s final round in sixth place, the Hoosiers seemed to struggle right out of the gate, with five of the six girls bogeying the first hole of the round, and in the end, dropping them to seventh.

Gahm lead the team for the tournament with a 16-over 304 (78-75-76-75) after a final round 75, finishing tied for 21st.   IU’s No. 1 seeded player, junior Kristtini Cain, finished Sunday with a 76 after three-straight 77s, landing her in 26th place, just three shots behind Gahm.

Sophomore Kate Coons (74-79-79-76), posting a 74, the low round of the tournament for the team in the first round, finished just one shot behind Cain with 308, tied for 27th. Freshman Sophie Hayashi (tied for 29th), sophomore Rosie Davies (tied for 32nd) and senior Lauren Giesecke (tied for 51st) rounded out the team.

IU coach Clint Wallman said the conference’s strength was too much for his team over the weekend.

“We showed a lot of promise out there this weekend, but we didn’t finish exactly where we wanted to,” he said.

“The Big Ten teams are very strong. I mean, Purdue won the NCAAs last year and finished second today to Michigan State. I think we showed great promise this weekend, and though we have a challenge ahead to be able to compete here in the future, we have the people who can do it.”