Hoosiers fall in first match of season at IU Spring Challenge

The IU women’s golf team could not hold off Wisconsin during its first event of the season Saturday, the IU Spring Challenge, losing the match 10.5 to 7.5. The teams played a Nassau, a competition in which the players collect one point for a win on the front nine, one point for the back nine and one for overall low-scoring in each pair.

Going into the event, IU was ranked No. 85 in the Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings. Wisconsin was No. 83 in the standings.

Junior Pam Burneski shone for IU and won all three points in her matchup against the Badgers. Burneski credited her strong play to hitting most of the fairways and greens.  
“I just didn’t want to make any mistakes out there so I wouldn’t get away with anything in the match,” Burneski said.

The mindset for the squad in the match was different from when it competes in stroke-play tournaments, Burneski said.

“One main objective is to beat the girl you’re playing,” she said. “You have more to think about in stroke play, about what am I doing and how I focus on myself.”

Behind Burneski in points was junior Rosie Davies, who tallied 1.5, while senior Kristtini Cain, sophomore Sophie Hayashi and freshman Elizabeth Tong each earned one point.

Davies said her number 13 at River Wilderness Country Club was her lucky hole to play Saturday.

“It just sets up well for me,” Davies said. “I like the way it looks off the tee, and the approach shot is fun to play.” 

IU Coach Clint Wallman said he was impressed with the women’s control on the greens, a technique the team practiced in the offseason.

“We were much improved, and that is something we had been working on,” Wallman said. “We would have loved to have picked up a win, but this was great preparation for our next event, and we are excited and feeling good.”

The Hoosiers will return to River Wilderness Country Club to compete in the Central District Invitational. Before the Nassau on Saturday, Hayashi said, it would be beneficial to see the course conditions before the 54-stroke play event beginning Monday.

Moving forward to the invitational, the team has a plan for handling the fairways and greens, Davies said.

“It will be the same as always hitting fairways and greens and making sure we’re giving ourselves opportunities to make birdies,” Davies said. “We’re mapping out the areas to hit the ball.

“We need to execute our putts and shots, but if everyone sticks to the plan, then we should be successful.”