March 1, 2004
THIS WEEK – The women’s golf team travels to Rio Verde, AZ to compete in the East/West Rio Verde Invitational. Competition will be at the Rio Verde Country Club on the par 72 Quail Run course. The tournament will begin on Friday and conclude on Saturday. The competition will be highlighted by Kent State, Arkansas-Little Rock and Illinois.
LINEUP – Competing for the Hawkeyes are seniors Laura Holmes and Jennifer Reints, juniors Liz Bennett and Shannon Fleming, and freshmen Jessica Ellis and Karla Murra.
LAST COMPETITION – The Hawkeyes opened their spring season with a 13th place finish at the Central District Regional. Iowa was led by junior Shannon Fleming who carded a three-round total of 228. Fleming’s third round score of two over par (74) insured a tie for 13th place. Junior Liz Bennett posted a 54-hole total of 232, which was good enough for a tie for 27th.
QUOTING CARNEY – “We had a reasonable start to our spring season last weekend. Our stroke average was close to our fall average, which is something you like to see after a long break from competitive golf. It was nice to see after four months off that our team improved based on the workouts over the winter. Shannon Fleming and Liz Bennett shot very good scores in their final rounds under some very windy conditions. Performances like that so early in the season give us confidence as we continue to get more playing experience.
Our goal with this weekend’s competition is to continue to improve so that we can compete at a higher level. I would like to see all our girls shooting under 80, if we do that we can start to make a run at a few tournaments. I have mixed up the lineup a little this weekend to see what some of our other competitors can do. After our next competition, the rest of our competitions will be six-person. So I want to see who can fit into those spots in order for us to be the most competitive. I have put Jessica Ellis in to the lineup for the first time in her career so I am anxious to see what she can do at a competitive collegiate level. As a whole we need everyone to compete well. Once we can all go out their and compete at the level we’re capable I think we can be a successful team.”
HEAD WOMEN’S COACH Bobbe Carney – Coach Carney is in her second year as coach of the Hawkeyes. Her resume is highlighted, most notably, by being named LPGA Midwest Section Coach of the Year in 1989. In 2001, she was named a Top 50 Instructor by Golf For Women magazine.