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Sophomore Samantha Sloan and the Illinois women's golf team compete in the Lady Buckeye Invitational on April 17-18.
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April 16, 2010
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The Illinois women's golf team wraps up its regular season on April 17-18 as it heads to Columbus, Ohio, for the 30th Annual Lady Buckeye Invitational, held at the par-72, 6,275-yard Scarlet Course at the Ohio State University Golf Club. There will be 36 holes played on Saturday, followed by 18 holes on Sunday. Both days will have shotgun starts at 8:30 a.m.
"We're looking to have a solid tournament," head coach Renee Slone said. "Obviously, this is a good test as far as the golf course goes. Once again, we're focusing on playing smart golf and posting three consistent rounds, which is something we have had done at times. We want to jump out of the gate well in that first round, build off that and just get a good solid tournament under our belts heading into Big Tens."
Illinois will join a high level of competition in the 12-team field at the Invitational, with three teams ranked in the top 30, including No. 10 Michigan State, No. 21 Ohio State and No. 30 Kent State. Six other Big Teams in attendance: Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota, Northwestern, Penn State and Wisconsin. Rounding out the other teams are Iowa State and Youngstown State.
"Focusing on ourselves is extremely important," Slone said. "This golf course that we're playing takes 100 percent focus. There can be no letting up whatsoever. Making sure that everyone stays focused on the things they need to stay focused on is paramount to our success. Just remembering that we judge our success ourselves, its not based on what other teams are doing. This team is still very young and sometimes I think we lose sight of that. It is a process that takes time."
The Orange and Blue have had a little less than two weeks since their previous tournament, the Indiana Invitational, where they finished 10th with a tournament total of 913. Sophomore Hailey Koschmann continued her impressive play by winning the tournament with a 54-hole total of 214, two-under par. It was the second time Koschmann shot a 214 this spring, tying her career low tournament and equaling the second-lowest 54-hole tournament total in program history. Koschmann also tied her career-low round with a 69 on the final day of the tournament.
"Hailey has really turned it up a notch," Slone said. "I think she's learned a great deal. She just stays very present and focused on the next shot. She's not getting ahead of herself at all, looking to the next hole, the next round, and just challenging herself and challenging the golf course. It's her against the golf course each and every time out."
For full coverage of the Illinois women's golf team at the Indiana Invitational, visit Fightingillini.com for a full recap of each day's action and for live action check www.golfstat.com.
