Inexperienced 'M' golf struggles at Lady Northern

The Michigan women's golf team's performance this weekend at Lady Northern Intercollegiate Golf tournament in West Lafayette was marked by inconsistency, as it finished 10th in a 14-team field with a score of 1003.

All 11 Big Ten teams participated in this weekend's tournament, giving the Wolverines their first chance to measure themselves against the conference. Michigan State won the tournament with a score of 947, edging out Indiana by four strokes.

The Wolverines were trying to follow up on their fifth-place finish at the Mary Fossum/Spartan Invitational in East Lansing two weeks ago but were unsuccessful.

They struggled in the second day of a three-day tournament shooting scores of 324 and 327 on Friday and Sunday, respectively.

Their score of 352 on Saturday, however, was the worst of the three days by 25 strokes.

While senior Sharon Park was Michigan's top finisher, her score of 247 was good for only a 31st-place tie in an 88-player field. Of all the Wolverines playing in the tournament, Park suffered the most from the team's second-day struggles.

Park was followed by freshman Bess Bowers who tied for 35th with a score of 249. Close behind was fellow freshman Misia Lemanski who placed in a tie for 40th with a score of 250.

Lemanski, in the first tournament for the Wolverines, flew out of the gates in her first round, shooting a 78. But she was unable to maintain her strong start, finishing with scores of 87 and 85.

Sophomore Trish Watkins followed in 58th place with a score of 259, and freshmen Le Anna Wicks and Stephanie Bezilla rounded out the Michigan scoring finishing in tie for 60th and 69th respectively, with scores of 263 and 268.

Michigan coach Kathy Teichert said, extremely windy conditions and a lack of intercollegiate experience led to Michigan's disappointing showing. Teichert said she believes that the team needs to stay more focused and to block out outside distractions.

"We can't control outside factors like the wind," Teichert said, "but we can control the mental and physical aspects of the game."

Teichert described her team as "talented, dedicated, motivated and hard working" and expects to see improvement throughout the year.

"It's a young team and will have its ups and downs," she said, "We are still searching for people to come through and shoot in the 70s. Shooting in the high 80s and 90s are not what we are looking for."

Teichert also explained that the team had not yet reached its full potential and was confident that it would improve over the course of the season.

She said freshmen Bess Bowers and Wicks, along with Watkins, all have the potential to develop into outstanding players.

Now the Wolverines are looking ahead to next weekend when they will play in their only home tournament of the year, the Wolverine Invitational, at the Michigan Golf Course.

"Being back in our home territory puts us more at ease and makes us more comfortable," Teichert said, "The support of our friends and parents will make a difference in how we play."

09-29-98