Hoosiers head west for MountainView Invitational

Just returning from its seventh-place finish at the Lady Jaguar Classic in Augusta, Ga., the IU women’s golf team will take the road again for the MountainView Invitational in Tucson, Ariz.

The Hoosiers have a strong history with this tournament, in which they have competed six times and won in the 2007-08 season. Within four of the past five runs at MountainView Country Club, IU placed fifth or better. In the 2010-11 season, the squad finished in 15th place, with junior co-captain Kate Coons leading with a tie for 36th.   

“The spring break trip was good for a variety of reasons,” IU Coach Clint Wallman said. “We worked on our game and played a lot. One of the things that kind of hurt us was Pam (Burneski) having to withdraw in the final round because she was playing well. That was tough for us to handle.”  

IU will be among 15 teams in the field March 23 and 24 in the 54-hole stroke play event, including Northwestern, Texas Tech and Kansas State. Wallman said this is the strongest field he has seen in his time with the team competing in the event.

Ohio State is the top-ranked team in the field, as No. 23 in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings, while IU is currently ranked 89th.

Junior Rosie Davies leads the Hoosiers in top finishes for the 2011-12 season, placing within the top 10 at three of eight starts. At the Lady Jaguar Classic, Davies tied for 10th with a six-over-par 222.

“Leading the way will be Rosie Davies. She had an absolutely fantastic tournament, and if she made a few putts she would’ve been right there,” Wallman said. “She really managed herself well and did a great job in the event.”

Earlier in the season, Wallman noted Davies, Coons and freshman Elizabeth Tong as possible contenders throughout the spring. Tong is coming off her fourth top-25 finish in her first year with the Hoosiers, recently placing 25th in Augusta with a 13-over-par 229.

“Elizabeth finished a solid event and continues to mature each tournament round and becomes a more solid player,” Wallman said. “I think you’ll see that this week at a course that she’s never seen before that suits her game really well.”

Senior co-captain Kristtini Cain and junior Pamela Burneski will join the trio in Tucson, with Burneski returning to the fairways after having to withdraw at this past week’s event due to back issues.

Cain posted her top finish for the spring at the Westbrook Invitational, tying for seventh with a two-under-par 214. She competed in the MountainView Invitational in the 2010-11 season, in which she tied for 49th.

“Cain composes herself well and has patience. This course suits her eye,” Wallman said. “Pam has the highest golf IQ of the girls on the team. She operates mentally at a high level. She manages herself and her game really well. She’s had success at MountainView and is due for a breakout event.”