Hello Illini Fans!
We finished tied for fifth place as a team at the Lady Buckeye Invitational in Ohio. It was a fun weekend for all of us! Our best individual finish went to Bing Singhsumalee with the score of 73-74-77 and tied for 11th place. Meanwhile, Dana Gattone tied for 25th, Stephanie Miller and I tied for 28th, Chayanid Prapassarangkul tied for 34th and Grace Park tied for 46th.
We had a few spectators including Mr. and Mrs. Gattone, Mr. Miller, Sarah Lyons from the women's gymnastics team and our teammate, Emily Joers. We were so happy they were all able to come out and watch. This tournament was the first time that I competed for the team instead of as an individual. I was a little nervous so it was nice to feel the additional positive energy and love from our spectators.
During the practice round, we focused on getting the right feel of the green speed and hitting shots out of tight greenside bunkers. The course was in a perfect condition and the weather could not have been any nicer! After that, we went to Matt The Miller's Restaurant for dinner just like the team had the year before. Since this is my first year to compete at the Lady Buckeye, my teammates were telling me stories about the famous half-pounder Miller's burger that Grace Park and Dana Gattone finished last year. I was bummed that they did not order them again this year and thought that I would not get to see the signature burger with my own eyes, but then saw one on the table across from us. My wish to see the half-pounder was fulfilled!
We put ourselves in a good position after the first day, were able to fight through the second day, and posted consistent scores throughout the tournament. What is most exciting for us is that even though we finished one spot better as a team than last year, we knew that there were little things that we can do even better individually. We will use this tournament to motivate us and work even harder! In order to achieve something bigger than ourselves as a team, we continue to believe in our personal process goals, just like during our time in Columbus. My personal strategy is to play smart, trust my decisions and focus on one shot at a time. We are fired up for our time to shine and excited to see many of our supporters at Big Ten Championship!
I-L-L!!
Pailin Ruttanasupagid
