Indiana University Athletics
Indiana University
2009 Challenge at Onion Creek
Hoosiers Take Fifth at 2009 Challenge at Onion Creek
11/3/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
Nov. 3, 2009
AUSTIN, Texas - Thanks to a strong second and third round performance, the Indiana women's golf team capped its fall season with a fifth-place finish in the 21-team 2009 Challenge at Onion Creek in Austin, Texas.
After darkness forced play in round two to be suspended on Monday evening, the Hoosiers came back out Tuesday morning to finish the round with a 286. They immediately began third round play where they combined for their best round of the season at 283, giving them a season-low 866 for the tournament which was good for fifth place. Texas A&M took first with an 839, followed by San Francisco (842), Texas State (863) and Texas (864).
"We played really well today,' said head coach Clint Wallman. "We started out well and got good play form top to bottom of our lineup.
"I think they are excited we ended the fall season well. This gives us something to work toward going into the spring, which we know is going to be a very challenging schedule. But this tournament gave them the confidence that they know they can compete."
For the fourth time in the last four tournaments, senior Laura Nochta was the top IU finisher with a tie for 15th at 214 (73-70-71). Nochta jumped out to a fast start in round three by going -2 over the first 10 holes with birdies on six and 12. She added a stroke with a bogey on 14 and stumbled on 18 with a double bogey before finishing out the tournament with four pars. In round two, Nochta was -1 after seven holes before being tripped up by a bogey on 11. She added another birdie on the par-4 14th hole, followed by a bogey on 15 and a birdie on 16. She went to -2 with her fourth birdie of the round on one, but ended with a double bogey on two and a par on three for an even-par 70.
Senior Kellye Belcher finished just a stroke behind Nochta in a tie for 18th at 215 (72-71-72). Belcher birdied the first hole of round three and dropped another stroke on hole nine before back-to-back bogeys on 12 and 13 put her back at even par. Another bogey on 15 took her to one over, and she finished with pars on six of the final seven holes. Belcher tallied five birdies in round two, including back-to-back score of three on the par-4 15th and 16th holes. A double bogey on 13 and bogeys on 10 and 18 meant she was even with four holes remaining. She added her fifth birdie on hole three, but closed the round with a double bogey on four to finish with a 1-over 71.
Freshman Jacqueline Yanch made the most dramatic improvement in round three, tallying a team-best 67 to finish tied for 32nd at 218 (75-76-67). Yanch's low round of the fall included six birdies and just one double bogey, along with a single bogey on 17. After posting an even round through 15 holes. She finished the day with three-straight birdies on holes three, four and five. The second round got off to a rough start for Yanch with a double bogey on six and a bogey on seven, but a birdie on nine eliminated one stroke from her tally. After bogeying 10, she would go -2 over the next five holes to sit at +1. She moved to +2 with a bogey on 16, but would par the next dive holes before ending the round with a triple bogey on four and a bogey on five to finish with a 6-over 76.
"Jacqueline has been working extremely hard to get back into the lineup," Wallman said. "She was very close to having three exceptional rounds here, but today she putted better and took advantage of her opportunities."
Freshman Pamela Burneski tied for 73rd with a score of 224 (77-74-73). She opened the final round with a birdie on five but fell to +2 with bogeys on seven, nine and 10. She would go -1 over the next eight holes thanks to a birdie on 11, but bogeys on two of the final four holes left her at 3-over for the round. Burneski had a solid second round with 13 holes of par or better, including birdies on seven and 16. The birdie on the par-4 16th hole put her at +2 for the round, but she came back with a bogey on 17. Burneski would par the next four holes before ending the round with a bogey on four to finish with a 4-over 74.
Freshman Kate Coons tied for 82nd with a tally of 227 (81-71-75). Coons was 3-over after seven holes with bogeys on nine, 11 and 12, but picked up her first birdie of the round on the par-5 18th hole to move back to +2. She would add another stroke with a bogey on one, followed by a double bogey on two. She birdied three before a bogey on four left her at 5-over for the round. Coons came back with a strong second round, finishing with a 1-over 71. The round started with a bogey on six, but she wiped the extra stroke away with a birdie on the par-4 10th hole. Bogeys on 12 and 15 put her at +2, but she responded with a birdie on 16 and would par her way home on the remaining seven holes.
Players Mentioned
