Indiana University Athletics
Dennison Finishes LPGA Event
6/14/2003 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
VIENNA, Ohio - As the roaring cheers for Annika Sorenstam beginning her round on the first tee echoed through the fairly empty grandstands on the 18th hole Saturday, Indiana senior-to-be Karen Dennison putted out on her 36th and final hole of her first ever LPGA adventure.
The Madison, Ind., native bogeyed her last hole at the Giant Eagle LPGA Classic in Vienna, Ohio, to card a 6-over-par 78. She finished with a 153 (75-78), and missed the cut by eight strokes.
"I'm obviously disappointed with how I played today," said Dennison. "My putting and chipping were not what they needed to be. I really had a chance to bring in a good round, but I couldn't get any putts to fall."
Unlike yesterday, which was primarily due to a case of the nerves, Dennison stormed out of the gates early Saturday, recording pars over her first four holes. After the first six holes in Friday's first round, Dennison was already 6-over-par.
Soft greens enticed the golfers to aim right at the pins, something that Dennison knew she had to do in order to advance in the field.
A double-bogey on No. 5 and bogeys at 6 and 8 left Dennison with a front-nine 40, and 6-over-par for the tournament.
While the Hoosier All-American bogeyed the 10th as well, she answered back with a birdie on the par-four 11th. Three more bogeys hampered Dennison's round however, ending her two-day affair at nine-over.
The lone amateur in the field of 144, Dennison was one of two golfers to earn a sponsor's exemption into the event.
She admits that while not carding the low scores that she wanted to, she takes away from this experience a great deal that should prove beneficial for her game.
"I really learned that I actually can hit the ball with the rest of the pros, but the level of short game skill and mental toughness are really the difference," she said. "There were a lot of distractions this week that I was forced to block out."
She also notes however, that she feels this experience will give her an edge when she returns to IU in the fall.
"Having gone through this tournament, I think I'm able to look at golf - both in shots and ways to score - in a different way than I have in the past. You have to think quite a bit out there. I really feel like I learned a lot."
