When a team has some time off, it can be an opportunity to rest and build anticipation for the next tournament. It's been three weeks since the Penn State Women's Golf team competed and it's done resting and past anticipation - the team is ready to play.

After placing 16th out of 17 in Mercedes-Benz Classic earlier this month, the team has buckled down in practice to contend with the other teams at the Landfall Tradition in Wilmington, North Carolina this weekend.

Although junior Amber Weinerth and senior Lauren Lundy played well in the last tournament, the team's placement was not up to expectations. The players are trying to concentrate on the next few days instead of dwelling on their prior performance, said coach Denise St. Pierre.

"Its so far back, it is behind us now," she said. "We are looking ahead."

The players have been working on their individual issues as well, but as a team, they are spending a lot of practice time on full swings and short game issues, anything within 100 yards of the hole, St. Pierre said.

Weinerth and Lundy will keep their starting positions along with Katrin Wolfe and Evelyn Paik, but a new addition to the lineup will be red-shirt sophomore Betsy Houseman.

However, all of the golfers will be treating the course like new. The Country Club of Landfall's Jack Nicklaus course has 27 holes, and a lot of the starters previously played on only nine of the holes they will face this weekend.

"For all intensive purposes it's a brand new track," St. Pierre said.

The lack of familiarity with the course is not the only challenge the team will be facing. 10 of the 12 teams competing made it to the NCAA regionals last year and seven are in Golfweek's top 25. All of them are ranked above Penn State, St. Pierre said.

"All teams we beat will help in our rankings," she said. "Anything we get from this is gravy."

NCAA Tournament runner-up Oklahoma State will compete, along with hosts UNC Wilmington, and Ohio State, Purdue, Vanderbilt and others.

UNC Wilmington's Becky Berzonski will also be opposition to look out for. The 2003-2004 Big South champion will be playing on her home turf and is expected to do very well.

St. Pierre predicts that, despite the tough competition, the resting period between tournaments will still be advantageous to the team. "I think the players are anxious to get back in it and play."