Looking for an escape from the recently harsh State College weather, the Lady Lion golf team could find none as it finished third among 10 teams from nine schools competing at the William & Mary Invitational on Sunday and Monday. This time it was the wind and rain, not the snow on the ground, that wreaked havoc on the golfers.
Kristin Lindgren and Sherri McDonald each shot 162 over the two-day tournament to lead the team at Ford's Colony Country Club in Williamsburg, Va. Other top scores for the team were shot by Colleen Scally (164) and April Hardisty (167). The host team, William & Mary, finished first in the tournament while Methodist finished second.
"I was a little disappointed with where we finished," coach Denise St. Pierre said. "Our goal going into the tournament was to win it."
McDonald's score was especially impressive considering she has been nursing a sore back that has hampered her swing.
Although the par-72 course played long both days due to the wind, St. Pierre wasn't about to use the wet and breezy spring weather as an excuse for her team's finish, as all 10 teams were competing against the same course with the same conditions, she said.
St. Pierre is, however, a bit disappointed with the waiting game her team has had to play with Mother Nature here in State College.
"The weather has obviously been a detriment to us," she said. "The feel the players get for both the short game and their putting is something that you just can't get practicing indoors on AstroTurf."
The Lady Lions were second after Sunday's round, leading Methodist by nine strokes. The team fell to third in the final scoring after shooting a 329 on Monday, while the Methodist golfers turned up the heat, scorching the course with a 316 as a team.
"It rained the entire round for us on Monday," Lindgren said about the team falling behind Methodist. "I think the fact that we've been practicing in Holuba Hall has hurt us too."
St. Pierre, although somewhat disappointed with her team's results at last weekend's meet, remains confident, yet apprehensive about the weather heading into the team's next outing here at Penn State in two weeks.
"I've got a good team that is really on the brink," she said. "I just hope that we can get out on the course sometime soon."
