April 18, 2005
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THIS WEEK — The women’s golf team travels to Ann Arbor, MI, to compete in the 2005 Big Ten Championships. The 72-hole tournament will be played on the par-72 (5,966 yards) University of Michigan Golf Course. The tournament format consists of 36 holes Friday (7 a.m.), followed by 18 Saturday (8 a.m.) and Sunday (7 a.m.). All times listed are central. Ohio State won the last three Big Ten titles by an average of 18.7 strokes.
LIVE SCORING — Live scoring will be available throughout the tournament. Fans can follow the play live on the Internet at www.golftstat.com.
THE COMPETITION — The Big Ten Championships feature all 11 teams from the conference: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Penn State, Purdue, Ohio State and Wisconsin.
LINEUP — Competing for the Hawkeyes will be seniors Liz Bennett and Shannon Fleming; sophomores Karla Murra and Amy Riepma; and freshmen Jill Marcum and Maggie Gelber. The lowest four scores each round will count towards the team score.
LAST COMPETITION — Iowa placed third in the Lady Buckeye Invitational last weekend at the OSU Scarlet Course in Columbus. The Hawkeyes posted a 54-hole score of 903, which was their best score of the year and ranks second in school history. Iowa shot 598 in its final 36 holes, which is a school record. The Hawkeyes had three individuals finish in the top 20. Liz Bennett placed ninth, with a nine-over par 224. Bennett’s score of 224 ranks 12th in Hawkeye history. Sophomores Amy Riepma and Karla Murra tied for 20th after carding a 15-over par 230.
BENNETT LEADS HAWKEYES — Senior Liz Bennett has placed fifth or better five times this season. The native of Sway Hampshire, England, placed first in the Hawkeye Intercollegiate and Sunflower Invitational in the fall. She finished second in the East/West Rio Verde Invitational and fifth in both the Peggy Kirk Bell Invitational and Indiana Invitational this spring. She placed ninth in last weekend’s Lady Buckeye Invitational.
LAST YEAR AT THE BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIPS — Iowa placed eighth in the 2004 Big Ten Championships played on the OSU Scarlet Golf Course in Columbus. Liz Bennett finished 20th, while Amy Riepma tied for 24th.
QUOTING HEAD COACH Bobbe Carney — “We’ve had good practices and tournament play the last couple weeks. Our players are the healthiest they’ve been all year and their play and confidence have progressed. If we play like we did last weekend at Ohio State, we certainly can finish in the upper division.”