Hello Illini Nation!
We have arrived back on campus from the Indiana Invitational and Big Ten Championships! The Indiana Invitational was hosted at the totally redesigned Indiana University course in Bloomington. The Pfau Course is a beautiful layout with tight fairways and undulated and firm greens. During the practice round, we gained a lot of needed course knowledge for the coming days. The first day was scheduled for 36 holes, but with limited daylight, we were able to play about 30 holes. We came back the next day to finish the second and final round. Overall, the course really tested our course management skills and our mental perseverance. I am proud of the way our team really fought till the last shot and gave it our all. Tristyn Nowlin, our fifth-year senior, had a great finish as she tied for fourth place with a score of -1. After the Indiana Invitational, we returned to campus for three days to prepare for the Big Ten Championships.
The Big Ten Championships was held at TPC River's Bend in Maineville, Ohio. Fortunately, our coaches and several members of the team had past experiences there and were able to pass along valuable information to the rest of the team. The course was in great condition and required some thoughtful course management skills. To our surprise before the practice round started, there was snow falling! The snow lasted about 10 minutes, but it was a delightful experience. Throughout the course of the tournament, we were faced with many different conditions. On the first day it was a little bit on the colder side. There was a drizzle/light rain throughout the second day. Then on the third day, it was sunny and warm with wind. Despite the challenge of these changing conditions, we were able to adjust using past experiences during this season. On the last day, we fought and were able to move up two spots finishing in ninth place. After the Big Ten Championships, we received such the news that we had qualified for NCAA Regionals!
The team and I are so excited to have the amazing opportunity to compete in the NCAA Columbus Regional on May 10-12.
Go Illini!
- Isabel Sy
