Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Ready For Final Fall Tournament
10/12/2005 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
Oct. 12, 2005
Lady Lion Invitational 10/16/05
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BLOOMINGTON, Ind - The Indiana women's golf team will conclude the 2005 fall campaign when it travels to State College, Pa., to compete at the 36-hole Lady Lion Invitational on Oct. 15-16. This marks the first time the Hoosiers will compete at Penn State's event. Last year, UC-Irvine won the event with the second-best 54-hole score in the event's history with an 897 (296-298-303).
The Field
Joining the Hoosiers at the Penn State Invitational are Bucknell, Georgetown, James Madison, Maryland, Monmouth, Penn State, Princeton, Marshall, Rollins College, St. Francis, UC Irvine, Western Michigan, William & Mary and Yale.
Carlson Records School's First Hole In One
Senior Katie Carlson became the first known Indiana women's golfer in school history to earn a hole-in-one during tournament play. The Livonia, Mich., native, playing the final round of the Shootout At The Legends, used a 4-iron to ace the par 3, 164-yard seventh hole. It was the first career hole-in-one for Carlson.
"I am really excited about the hole-in-one," Carlson said. "I started off poorly, so it felt good because it was a big momentum swing in my round. When I first hit the shot I wasn't too thrilled about it to be honest. I was hoping it would get over a bunker and once it did, it kept rolling and went in. It was especially exciting because my parents were here watching."
On A Streak
Senior Shannon Johnson and sophomore Elaine Harris are both riding impressive streaks of sub-80 rounds. Johnson has not had a round of 80 or higher, meaning she has recorded 12 consecutive rounds of under 80. Harris has been just as hot. After shooting above 80 through the first four rounds of the 2005 fall season, the San Francisco, Calif., native has eight consecutive rounds of under 80. On the season, Johnson's 74.25 stroke average leads the team while Harris' 78.25 per round is third-best.
Career-Best Achievements
Several Hoosiers achieved new personal-bests at the 2005 Lady Northern Invitational on Sept. 24-25. Highlighting the group was sophomore Elaine Harris, who established new lows of 36 holes (150) and 54 holes (223). It bested her previous 36-hole mark of 152 and 54-hole mark of 234, both of which were set at the Central District Classic last season. Senior Katie Carlson also established career lows in 18 holes (75), set in Saturday's second round, 36 holes (157) and 54 holes (234).
Looking For A Birdie
Senior Shannon Johnson has accumulated 33 birdies thus far on the 2005 fall campaign. That number not only leads the team, but ranks fourth in the country as well. She also ranks among the top-10 golfers in the nation in average putts (10th-29.89).
Starting Off On The Right Foot
Playing in her first tournament as an Indiana golfer, senior transfer Shannon Johnson overcame a three-stroke deficit to earn co-medalist honors with a 7-over par 223 at the sixth-annual Notre Dame Invitational. After carding rounds of 72 and 76 during the opening 36 holes, Johnson fired a 75 on the final round to tie with Notre Dame's Noriko Nukazaki for top honors. She currently leads the Hoosiers in stroke average (74.78) and with three top-20 finishes.
"I am really excited," Johnson said. "I thought I played decent and I was excited to finally be playing collegiate golf again. I think it really helps to play for a team with such good chemistry and for a coach who believes in your abilities as a player."
After playing three years at the University of New Mexico, Johnson captured her first tournament medalist honor of her career, besting her previous career-high finish of a second-place tie at the 2004 Mountain West Conference Championships.
Last Time Out...
Senior Katie Carlson became the first known Indiana women's golfer in school history to earn a hole-in-one during tournament play, and helped the Hoosiers to an 11th-place tie at the Shootout at the Legends on Oct. 10-11. IU finished with a three-round score of 921 (305-303-313) on the par-72, 6,076-yard Legends of Indiana Golf Course.
The Livonia, Mich., native, used a 4-iron to hit her historic shot. Carlson would go on to finish tied for 70th overall with a 239 (77-81-81).
"I am very proud of our girls and of course the highlight of the day was Katie's hole-in-one," Indiana head coach Clint Wallman said. "The shot she hit never left the flag, hit on the front of the green and rolled right in. It was very exciting. I am not surprised though because of the quality shots she has been hitting all year."
Senior Shannon Johnson led the Hoosiers, carding a 2-over par 218 (71-72-75), and tied for fifth overall. It marked the second top-10 finish for her this season, and her ninth round of 75 or below.
"Shannon is such a talented golfer and she had herself in position to win another tournament entering today's final round," Wallman said. "She got off to a rocky start and just never got her momentum going."
Sophomore Elaine Harris shot a 229 (79-73-77) to finish tied for 35th, improving her consecutive run of below-80 rounds to eight. True freshman Tiffany Hockensmith collected a 237 (78-78-81), and tied for 64th, while freshman Amber Lindgren rounded out IU with a 242 (82-80-80).
"Obviously we didn't play as well as we wanted to during the final round, but overall I am pleased with the performance," Wallman said. "We put ourselves in position to make a good run up the leaderboard, and even though we didn't do that, it is something we can learn from."
Head Coach Clint Wallman's Thoughts
How is the team handling just a two-day turnaround from one tournament to the next:
"I think we feel pretty good for the most part. I think the last seven rounds in particular have been solid and we want to continue that trend at Penn State."
What is the mindset of the team heading into the fall season finale:
"Obviously we would like to go out with our best finish of the year. This is a 36-hole tournament so it will be shorter than the normal golf tournaments we are used to playing. I expect us to have a good tournament, particularly after the Legends. We just need to make a couple of adjustments and head into the tournament with confidence."
Heading into the final tournament in 2005, has the team reached the goals you have set for them:
"We have reached our goals for the fall season because we have improved throughout the fall. Our focus was to get better in each event we played, not just scoring but finishing well. If you compare the first half of the fall season to the last half, we definitely have improved. I would like us to finish strongly in this tournament and I think that will give us momentum heading into the spring."
