Although the No. 19 Northwestern women’s golf team finished in a tie for second at the Big Ten Championships, the team returned to Evanston frustrated. Having dealt with issues ranging from poor course conditions and spotty chipping to aggravating officials, NU was satisfied just to make it out of Minneapolis alive and heading to the NCAA regional tournament.
“Conditions were very difficult at the tournament,” coach Chris Regenberg said. “The course was wet and barren. High winds challenge even the most creative player.”
Four Wildcats – freshman Hana Kim, sophomores Lauren Grzebien and Elizabeth Burden and junior Emily Gilley – finished in the top 20 at Minnesota’s Les Bolstead Golf Course. NU shot a 1,230 to tie for second with Indiana. No. 26 Michigan won the conference crown by 11 strokes.
Kim was the top NU golfer for the second consecutive week, finishing in eighth place. Kim shot a 1-under 71 on Friday, her best round of the tournament.
“I played really solidly (in the first round),” Kim said. “I was happy with that and I felt like my game was coming together.”
Kim’s second round did not go so smoothly – she finished off the first day of competition with a round of 81.
On the tournament’s second day, Kim shot an 80, which she was even more unhappy with than the previous day’s 81. Her substandard performance was due largely to a lapse after an incident involving the marshal on the second hole.
“The official at the second hole tried to give me a penalty because my ball was hitting the grass and it moved,” Kim said. “She said it moved because of my practice shot, which I took at least two feet from the ball.”
Kim was not given the penalty, but it affected her game anyway.
“The last straw was when she asked me why the ball moved,” Kim said. “I don’t know, gravity? She aggravated me, and it was a mental lapse. I got off to a bad start and bogeyed the hole, and I blamed it on her. Because of that I shot an 80 and (mentally) stayed on the second hole the entire round.”
Other players said they were bothered by a damp course with bald patches. To make matters worse, the wind picked up on the last two days of the tournament, wreaking havoc on NU’s approach shots.
“The wind was really severe,” Kim said. “On Saturday I hit a six-iron and the next day I hit a five-wood at the same place and (the ball) didn’t get there. My chipping was a problem because I didn’t know how to factor in the wind.”
Despite a wind-related double bogey on the 12th hole Sunday, Kim managed to shoot a 75 for the round. The Cats rebounded as a team to improve from third to second. Grzebien and Burden finished the tournament tied for 17th to bolster the club. Burden had finished on top for the Cats in four of the seven spring tournaments coming into the weekend.
“I guess I was pretty happy with my play, but my last two rounds could have been better,” Grzebien said. “It got windier and I wasn’t hitting the ball as well as I could have been.”
According to Regenberg, the Cats’ roster features a number of strong players, and any one of them can finish on top in a given weekend.
“It’s pretty up and down,” Grzebien said. “That’s just how golf is, the order’s always switching.”
The team is all on the same page as far as NCAA regionals go, agreeing that improvement is essential. NU will play at North Carolina against fierce competition in the regionals, which are to be held May 10-12.
“We’ve got the big three,” Kim said, referring to top-ranked Duke, No. 3 Auburn and No. 6 Georgia.
NU will have to finish among the top eight teams to qualify for the championships.
“Where I’m at now isn’t where I want to be for regionals,” Kim said. “I want to be up a few notches, so I’m working on my chipping and reinforcing what I feel is good. I want everything to be more solid so I’ll have more confidence.”
Said Grzebien: “Our ultimate goal is for the NCAA championships. Personally I just want to play my best to help my team get there.”
