With a few weeks left of the spring season, UW-Whitewater women’s golf team placed 16th out of 22 teams on April 14-15, at the Kathy Niepagen Spring Fling in Normal, Illinois.
Head coach Andrea Wieland contributed the stellar competition the Warhawks faced as a reason for the placement in the two-day tournament. Another issue for the Warhawks noted by Wieland was the difficulties that come along with playing in the spring season.
“The spring is just so difficult because we haven’t had a lot of great days to get out and practice,” Wieland said. “It’s been rough.”
Although there were a few external challenges, Wieland realized the team simply didn’t play to its potential. After a long winter break, Wieland said that team needs to get its feel for the green back. That means an emphasis on chipping and putting in the upcoming weeks.
Senior Stephanie Stair claimed the top score for UW-W with round scores of 84 and 81, good for the 47th spot of the 111-player field. Freshman Ashley Hofmeister (83-84), the reigning WIAC tournament champion, was knotted at 52nd spot.
Two other Warhawk competitors on the links were sophomores Kaitlin Bowe (83-88), who tied at 67th, and Maddie McCue (92-87), who tied at the 90th position. Senior Kayla Asleson (85-89) rounded out the five for the Warhawks with a finish at the 79th spot.
The weather was yet another challenge faced by the Warhawks. Day one of play was plagued with rain, resulting in two delays. Day two had its own challenges, specifically the gusting winds according to Hofmeister.
“It was tough to play in,” Hofmeister said. “You really had to think about your shots.”
The two delays resulted in a postponement of round one’s last four holes. That meant the team had to play 22 holes in the second day of play.
There were positives from the tournament. Wieland said she felt like the team wasn’t too far off fundamentally.
“We definitely struck the ball well,” Wieland said. “We hit a lot of really good shots.”
Hofmeister relayed her coaches’ message.
“I felt like personally I was hitting the ball solid.” Hofmeister said.
With the team’s next tournament right around the corner, Wieland said she plans on giving the team’s lineup a bit of a shakeup.
“The ones that are really starving to make that top five are going to have some opportunities to play in these next couple tournaments,” Wieland said. “I think that’s maybe going to push those other girls that played in the top five this weekend.”
The Warhawks will look to get in their spring season form when the team hosts the UW-Whitewater Spring Fling on April 21-22 at the Beloit Club.