Women's golf climbs leaderboard, takes fourth at Hawkeye Invite
October 05, 2008 | Women's Golf
The 45th-ranked University of Wisconsin women's golf team bounced back from a rough first round performance with two solid rounds en route to a fourth place finish at the 2008 Hawkeye Invitational. The tournament was played at the par-72, 6,202-yard Finkbine Golf Course in Iowa City, Iowa.
The Badgers shot a season-high round of 38-over, 326 during Saturday's opening round which put them in 13th in the 15-team field. The team responded though with a 19-over, 307 in round two to move them into a tie for 6th and a 14-over, 302 in Sunday 's final round to continue its climb up the leaderboard. Wisconsin ended the tournament with a 935 and finished 14 strokes behind champion Ball State.
Junior Kelsey Verbeten (Green Bay, Wis.) led the team as she earned the best finish of her career. By shooting a 12-over par, 228 (80-73-75), Verbeten took fifth place, besting the 10th place finish she earned at last weekend's Badger Invitational.
Competing as an individual, fellow junior Jeana Dahl (Fargo, N.D.) finished in a tie for 12th place. Dahl shot back-to-back rounds of 77 on Saturday to earn her best 36-hole score of the season. A final round of 79 on Sunday put Dahl 17-over par for the tournament with a 233.
Junior Molly Schemm (Ft. Atkinson, Wis.) equaled her best round of the season during Sunday's final round as she shot a one-over 73 to end in a tie for 14th place. Her final round featured five birdies and six bogeys. Schemm shot a three-round total of 18-over par, 234 (84-77-73).
Like Verbeten, freshman Ellie Arkin (Reedsburg, Wis.) also set a new personal-best in the tournament. One week after finishing in a tie for 19th at the Badger Invitational, Arkin lowered the mark with a tie for 18th thanks to a 19-over, 235. She shot an 80 in round one, and followed that with a 78 round two and a 77 in the third and final round.
A third Badger golfer had the best finish of her career as junior Heather Herrick (Hartland, Wis.) tied for 30th with a 23-over par, 239. Her previous best was at this year 's Badger Invitational where she placed 34th. Like Schemm and Arkin, Herrick 's scores improved as the tournament progressed. After opening with an 83 in round one, Herrick shot a 79 in round two and a 77 in round three.
One week after capturing the individual title at the Badger Invitational, freshman Jessie Gerry (Madison, Wis.) finished in a tie for 43rd at the Hawkeye Invitational. She too improved from round-to-round, ending with a 25-over, 241. Gerry fired an 83 in round one, an 81 in round two and ended with a five-over par, 77.
The women's golf team will be back in action Oct. 18 and 19 when it travels to West Lafayette, Ind. for the Lady Northern Invitational.
