After a Spring Break trip to Austin, Texas, for the Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invitational, No. 39 Northwestern is still searching for the breakthrough tournament.

The Wildcats’ last two competitions, the Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invitational and the Central District Invitational one month prior, pitted them against some of the toughest fields in school history. The two invitationals attracted teams with an average ranking of 30th, eighth-ranked Arizona.

In last week’s Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invitational at the University of Texas Golf Club, the Cats kept pace with No. 8 Arizona on day one, tying for seventh with a 13-over-301. But NU slid down the rankings over the next two days, eventually settling for 12th place among 17 teams.

“Overall we were disappointed with our finish,” coach Emily Fletcher said. “We’ve definitely seen our girls are capable of playing with these teams. In the end it was the putting that let us down. But ball-striking-wise, the girls have made a lot of progress.”

Sophomore Kylie Fuller finished atop the Cats’ scoreboard for the second straight tournament, tying for 37th overall. She has led the team’s scoring in three of eight events this season.

“Kylie’s really starting to play well,” Fletcher said. “Each week she’s playing better and I expect her to have a breakthrough tournament where she plays some under-par rounds. It’s about converting some scoring opportunities and leading the team to a higher finish.”

Freshman Lauren Weaver, who led the Cats in four competitions this year, found herself outside the top 20 for the second consecutive tournament. Although she has the team’s lowest average and has finished second behind Fuller in the last two tournaments, 39th place is a dip in form for her.

“She’s struggling,” Fletcher said. “Her wedge game hasn’t been very good lately. In the fall she was averaging four or five birdies a round and now she’s averaging one.” Freshman Mei Liu, an Austin native, debuted in the competition. Liu got off to a strong start, hitting 78 in the first two rounds before her third-day mark of 85 pushed her final score up to a 25-over-241.

“It’s a good learning experience for her,” Fletcher said. “It was more the putting that let her down but it was a good opportunity. She was able to earn her position and it was a nice coincidence that it was in her hometown. She had played that golf course before, so that was an added bonus.”

The strong playing field provided a staunch challenge for the Cats, but Fletcher said the team can do better.

“Although it was disappointing with our finish, we were playing so many highly ranked teams,” Fletcher said. “But we’re still looking for the breakthrough tournament. It’s about the girls working a little harder and doing those extra things that will make them better and come out with a better score next time.”[email protected]