Another striking moment in a memorable season materialized for junior Lauren Weaver on the eighth hole of the Scarlet Course in Columbus, Ohio. Her tee shot on the par-three was her first shot of the second round and her only shot at that hole. The “perfect shot,” as described by coach Emily Fletcher, found the bottom of the cup for only the fourth ace in Northwestern history.
Weaver’s historic shot, the first ace in Fletcher’s coaching tenure, stood out in a weekend of dismal weather and less-than-remarkable performances by the Wildcats at the Lady Buckeye Invitational.
The Cats slid into a sixth-place finish at the end of the weekend out of an 11-team field, a disappointing performance in Fletcher’s eyes.
“The girls fought hard, but we did not play well today, ” she said of Saturday’s action. “We just really struggled.”
Poor conditions contributed to a tough test, but recurring problems around the greens plagued the team enough to contribute to a major disconnect in the final round.
Weaver finished as the Cats’ leading scorer once again, with a tie for 11th place. Sophomore Devon Brown and freshman Hana Lee tied for 17th, rounding out the trio of Cats in the top 20.
The Cats finished behind Big Ten foes Ohio State and Michigan State, which finished first and second respectively. Being beaten by two teams whom Fletcher said she knows the Cats are capable of outplaying was disappointing.
“You’ve got to play smart and you have to use the ball in the right place, and we weren’t able to take advantage of that,” Fletcher said.
The team glided to second place Saturday after the first two rounds of play, boosted by Weaver’s ace and strong performances by Brown and Lee. The two held the lead for the Cats after Saturday’s play with a tie for fifth place.
Weaver played a poor round Saturday morning, shooting a nine-over 81, but hit the perfect shot that bounced right into the par-three eighth hole.
Fletcher said there was no time to dwell on the weekend, however, due to the approaching Big Ten Tournament in French Lick, Ind., this upcoming weekend.
She told the girls to move on from the weekend in a talk after the competition wrapped up Sunday.
All efforts will be made to bring their best game to Indiana, she said, and to prove the team’s potential. Fletcher said she believes the Cats have the talent to capture their first-ever Big Ten championship. She said she expects a top-three finish at the very least.
“I want them to take that quiet confidence and sort of settle into it, revel in it, play each hole as it comes,” Fletcher said. “We have to stay very much in the present.”
