Sports

Women’s golf team finishes in 3rd place at Indiana Invitational; Mory leads Illini

By Kyle Diller
April 9, 2008

The Illinois women’s golf team finished in third place at the Indiana Invitational on Tuesday, with senior Stephanie Mory leading the team.

After playing 36 holes on Monday, Illinois sat in fourth place. However, the Illini finished strong on Tuesday to jump up one spot in the last 18 holes with a score of 898. In the process, Illinois also beat four top-50 teams, including No. 28 Texas (4th), No. 49 UNLV (5th), No. 44 Oregon (6th) and No. 50 Indiana (8th).

“I think this is a huge step for the team, realizing what their true potential is,” head coach Renee Slone said. “I think all the hard work both on the physical side of the game as well as the mental side of the game is starting to pay off and people are starting to take notice.”

Meanwhile, No. 6 Purdue came in first, finishing 42 strokes ahead of second-place Ohio State. The Buckeyes placed ahead of Illinois by four strokes. The Boilermakers’ No. 95 Junthima Gulyanamitta took top honors individually.

However, a third-place finish in the Indiana Invitational is a continuation of the Illini’s strong start to the season.

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The team already has two first-place finishes, including the Illini Classic, and a fourth-place finish in its spring season.

“I think coming off a win at our home tournament and playing really well there in the final round had momentum working in our favor,” Slone said.

This tournament also displayed some strong individual performances by the golfers. Mory led the Illini with her 10th place finish and a score of 221. This marks Mory’s second consecutive top-10 finish after tying for third in the Illini Classic.

“It’s on a very competitive field, so it’s a good feeling to be able to finish in the top 10,” said Mory. “It really gives me some confidence going into the last two tournaments of this season.”

Senior Seul Ki Park extended her run of top 18 finishes to nine after she tied for 17th, while senior Kristine Cook and freshman Raquel Hopton both tied for 20th.

Junior Nancy Featherstone finished in a tie for 13th place. In the opening round, Featherstone shot a career-low 71.

“I’ve kind of struggled this season and to have my career-low was definitely a confidence booster,” Featherstone said.

The team will compete next in the Lady Buckeye Spring Invitational, which begins on April 19 in Columbus, Ohio.

Top 10 Team Finishes

Finish School Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Final

1 Purdue (No. 6) 279 282 291 852 (-12)

2 Ohio State 295 300 299 894 (+30)

3 ILLINOIS 294 307 297 898 (+34)

4 Texas 302 300 297 899 (+35)

5 UNLV 299 291 310 900 (+36)

6 Oregon 306 304 295 905 (+41)

7 Michigan 308 300 303 911 (+47)