Although the women's golf team improved 18 strokes during Monday and Tuesday's tournament at Rollins College, it tied for 12th in a field of 17 teams.

Duke was leading the Florida tournament after the 36-hole first day but increased 24 strokes in the last round after some players got sun poisoning. This gave Brigham Young the victory by eight strokes.

"There's a few holes on this course that can jump up and bite you and it's kind of like they bit everybody at the same time," assistant coach Denise St. Pierre said of the Lady Lions' performance.

Penn State was in 15th place after rounds of 337 and 334 on the first day of the 15th annual Peggy Kirk Bell Invitational. Three of the Lady Lions shot under 80 in the last round. This boosted their team score to 319, enabling them to pass Purdue and Northern Illinois and tie Methodist.

"The last round shows some light at the end of the tunnel," St. Pierre said. "It was really unfortunate that we got so far behind after the first 36 holes."

Kristin Clark led Penn State in scoring with 86-79-79 for a 244 total. She was the only Lady Lion to shoot under 80 in more than one round.

"I had a problem relaxing the first 18," Clark said. "My scores came down after I relaxed and set a pace for myself."

Cathy Gitzendanner, who shot 245 two weeks ago in Central Florida's tournament, fired a 248 at the Timacuan course.

Wendy MacTurk and Meg Young each shot a 251 total. Young, the only Penn State golfer who had never played the course before, had the lowest individual round for the Lady Lions with a 78 the last day of the tournament. Brenda Williamson's 257 rounded out Penn State's scoring.

"There's some tough holes on the golf course and if you don't make the right decisions and manage yourself, they can really get you," St. Pierre explained. "On this course, a mistake often meant a bogey or a double."

She said Penn State's remaining two tournaments this spring will be indicative of the progress they made during the fall season, since the weather will allow outdoor play.

The Lady Lions next compete on April 7 in Bloomington, Ind. During this three-week layoff the team will work to refine their skills and recapitulate what they learned during winter practices in Holuba Hall.

Clark said she will concentrate on hitting the greens, her weakness at the Orlando tournament.

"We are going to use the next three weeks to our advantage," she explained. "We have to keep the last day of the tournament in mind because there is no way we should be shooting over 319."