Flying south
Lady linksters tee off at Duke Invite

By MICHELLE ROACH
Collegian Sports Writer

The Lady Lion golf team is headed south this weekend again for its second spring tournament. This time, Penn State will face more teams from the Mid-Atlantic region.

The Lady Lions leave today for the Duke Invitational, which is probably the most crucial tournament of the spring schedule because so many teams in their region will be competing, Coach Denise St. Pierre said. Action begins on Sunday, kicking off the first round of three days, each of 18-hole play.

Sixteen teams are playing, nine of them Mid-Atlantic competitors. St. Pierre expects Wake Forest and Duke to do well in the tournament, citing Duke's home-course advantage and the talent of both teams.

But the Lady Lions are shooting to finish near the top with those teams, which are both in the Mid-Atlantic region. The Lady Lion squad is aiming to finish in the top five against the stiff competition, St. Pierre said.

"We've been very close with every single one of these teams before," she said. "If we finish high up, we have a really good chance of going to regionals."

But if they do not, it's not the end of the world. St. Pierre said a poor finish would not mean the Lady Lions are out of the hunt for regionals.

"It's not going to make or break us," she said. "But we'll be able to breathe a little easier if we do well."

Four seniors -- Sherri McDonald, Heather Preston, Kristin Lindgren and Colleen Scally -- and two freshmen -- Holly Turton and Laura Hammond -- will fill the lineup.

St. Pierre said Hammond has been shooting well at practices, including a 69-shot last weekend, qualifing her for the tournament. Hammond said she has just been getting over a six-week bout with mononucleosis, but was not surprised with the score.

"I've been very constant in every aspect of my game," Hammond said. "I don't think I've ever hit the ball this well."

St. Pierre stressed the depth of the Lady Lions. As usual, she said she is also looking for help from the leadership and experience of the older players.

Lindgren may be providing some of that leadership. The captain said she is taking the same laid-back attitude she took to the team's last tournament -- the Peggy Kirk Bell Invitational in Orlando, Fla. --where the Lady Lions finished third.

"I'd like to have a good tournament and help out the team as much as I can," Lindgren said.

St. Pierre said the team will be concentrating on its practice round tomorrow to get used to the Duke course. The Lady Lions have not been to the tournament in five years and have not played on the course, which is different than Penn State's course because of its grass and dramatic undulation of the greens, she said.

"You've got to know what's going on on the greens," St. Pierre said. "I'm looking for preparation, discipline and attention at the practice round because if we are sloppy and lazy, then it's going to show up in the tournament."