Indiana University Athletics
Indiana University
Mary Fossum Invitational
Hoosiers Third After Two Rounds of the Mary Fossum Invitational
9/12/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
Sept. 12, 2009
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Led by senior Kellye Belcher, who is tied for second with a 36-hole score of -2, the Indiana women's golf team is third after two rounds of the Mary Fossum Invitational being held at the Forest Akers West Golf Course in East Lansing, Mich. The tournament concludes with 18 holes tomorrow, beginning at 8:30 a.m.
Indiana posted scores of 294 and 293 for an 11-over 587. Purdue leads the field at 579 (+3), followed by Michigan State (582; +6), the Hoosiers, Northwestern (591; +15) and James Madison (602; +26) rounding out the top five.
"This was a really good day for us," said head coach Clint Wallman. "We were solid from top to bottom. Going into tomorrow, we just need to play one shot at a time and improve upon what we did today. We made a lot of birdies, and the ladies made good decisions on the course. We need more of the same tomorrow."
Belcher is within striking distance of her first collegiate title after scores of 73 and 69 (-2) to sit in the second-place spot. In round two, Belcher was even through the first six holes in round two and sandwiched a bogey on 12 with birdies on 11 and 13. She moved to -2 with another birdie on 15 and continued to dominate the back nine with birdies on 16 and 18 to move to -4. She was tripped up with a double bogey on hole two but came back with a birdie on the last hole to finish the round at three under. Belcher was +1 after the first 18 holes. She picked up a birdie on the par-5 17th hole, but gave the stroke right back with a bogey on 18. She had another bogey on hole one, but ended the round with three pars.
"Kellye was on the brink of a really good number all day," Wallman said. "She was hitting the ball so well and was able to make a couple of putts. I think she was very comfortable out on the course today."
Freshman Pamela Burneski is tied for ninth after two rounds of her first collegiate event with identical scores of 73 in both rounds (+2). In round two. Burneski opened with a birdie and seven pars over the first eight holes but was back at even par with a bogey on 12. She responded with another birdie on 13 but picked up bogeys on 16 and three to finish at one over. Starting the first round on hole four, Burneski opened her first collegiate round by going 2-under through the first 15 holes. She was tripped up on hole one with a double bogey and closed out with a bogey on three to sit at +1.
"Pamela was very steady today," Wallman said. "She didn't do anything too flashy and just wore the course down."
Senior Laura Nochta is tied for 12th after rounds of 70 and 77 (+3). Opening the second round, Nochta was +1 after two holes with a bogey on five. She responded with a birdie on seven and stayed at even par until back-to-back bogeys on 10 and 11. That was followed by a double bogey on 13, but she dropped back down to +3 by shooting a three on the par-4 14th hole. Bogeys on holes 18 and two left her at 5-over for the round. Nochta opened play with a 2-under 70 in the first round, tallying birdies on the par-4 14 and 16th holes. She closed the round with five-straight pars, avoiding a bogey over the 18 holes.
Senior Anita Gahir is tied for 29th with a two-round total of 152 (78-74/+8). After a rough start in the first round, Gahir steadied her play in round two, moving to -1 after six holes. She was tripped up with a bogey on hole 15 to fall back to even par. She added another bogey on 16, as well as hole one, but came home with three straight pars to close out the day. Her struggles in round one began with a bogey on six, before adding a double bogey on 11. She took a stroke back with a birdie on the par-5 13th hole but was back at +3 after a bogey on 17. With another bogey on hole one, Gahir stumbled with a triple bogey on hole two, jumping to +7. She ended the round on a positive note with a birdie on hole four.
Rounding out the group is freshman Jacqueline Yanch, who is tied for 42nd at +13 (79-78). Yanch started the second round strong by going -2 over the first five holes. The back nine began to trip her up, beginning with a bogey on 11, and back-to-back double bogeys on 14 and 15. She stayed at three over until a bogey on hole one, followed by a double bogey on three. She closed the day with pars on holes four and five. In round one she was off to a shaky start with bogeys on four of the first five holes. She settled down a bit after that with pars on eight of the next nine holes before posting a double bogey on the par-5 second hole. Her first collegiate birdie came on hole three and a bogey on four and par on five ended her round.
Players Mentioned
