Wisconsin Women Golfers Are 2003 Big Ten Champion Runner-Ups
April 27, 2003 | Women's Golf
The Wisconsin women's golf team took second place at the 2003 Big Ten Championships, held at the par 73, 6,000-yard Finkbine Golf Course in Iowa City, Iowa. The Badgers were led by junior Malinda Johnson who placed third individually. Senior Katie Connelly also finished in the top ten, tying for seventh place.
After the first 18-holes on Friday, Wisconsin held a tie for third place with a score of 309 and hoped to maintain it through that afternoon's second round. At the end of the day the golfers sat in a three-way tie, led by Johnson and senior Carli Gregorin in the second round, with a 309-311--620 stroke total.
Saturday's play offered calmer winds and calmer nerves and the Badger's took advantage. Along with Johnson, sophomore Jackie Obermueller helped the team shoot the third-best round of the tournament of 296, also its lowest 18-hole total of 2002-03.
In a fairly comfortable second place position, the Badgers rounded the links Sunday morning and solidified their runner-up position, the best Big Ten finish for Bucky since winning the title in 1994. Senior Katie Connelly led Wisconsin in its fourth and final round to a score of 307, totaling 309-311-296-307'1223.
The Badgers were beaten only by Ohio State's stellar performance of a 26-over par, 72-hole total of 303-302-295-294--1194, the second lowest in Big Ten history. The Buckeyes shot the two lowest 18-hole totals of the tournament in their third and fourth rounds. Behind the Badgers in third place was Northwestern who climbed out of a first round tenth place with rounds of 319-314-297-300.
After a first round 76, Malinda Johnson never looked back, firing a second round one-under par 72, and duplicating that score in the third round. In the fourth round she bounced into a three-way tie for first place until she double-bogeyed the 18th hole to finish with a three-over 76. Her final 72-hole total of 296 ties Wisconsin 's all-time record, which was set by Allie Blomquist in 2000. In a tie for first, Indiana's Karen Dennison (70-75-72-77'294) and Ohio State's Allison Hanna (70-78-73-73--294) were the only two to better Johnson.
In her final appearance at the Big Ten Championship, Katie Connelly led the Badgers in the first round with a 74, including four birdies. After a triple-bogey on the fourth hole of her second round, she could not recover and finished with a 79. She recuperated on Saturday, again firing a one-over 74. She repeated that score (74) in the fourth round with two birdies and only three bogeys. Her 72-hole total of 301 tied her with Northwestern's Elizabeth Burden for seventh place.
In her first Championship appearance, sophomore Jackie Obermueller recorded a 316 total for Wisconsin. After her first two rounds of 80 and 84, she boasted a third round one-over 74. She finished the deal on Sunday with a 78 and tied for 34th individually.
Freshman Lindsay McMillan, in 49th place, also contributed scores for the Badgers. She fired a first round six-over 79, followed by rounds of 82 in her second and third 18-holes. On Sunday she again shot a 79, to total 322 for the tournament.
Senior Carli Gregorin bettered her first round score of 88 by 10 strokes in the second round with a 78. The third round was her best performance with a three-over 76. After Sunday's score of 83, she totaled 325 strokes in 52nd place.
Freshman Danielle Hoff also competed for the Badgers this weekend with rounds of 94-85-82-89'350.
Complete individual and team hole-by-hole scores can be viewed at www.golfstatlive.com.
