The mass exodus of Wisconsin students heading to warmer climates is about to begin. However, the Wisconsin women's golf team will get a head start on Spring Break when they head to College Station, Texas, Thursday to participate in the "Mo" Morial Invitational, hosted by Texas A&M.
The Badgers will try to continue early season improvement after lowering their team score in each round of the Lady Puerto Rico Classic, their last tournament. UW head coach Todd Oehrlein pointed to a couple motives for the improvement.
"The short games started to come around, and we were just getting used to playing outside again," Oehrlein said.
Sophomore Katie Elliott showed no signs of rust on way to shooting a three-round total of 221, what Oehrlein called "the best individual performance we've seen." The five-over par score was good enough to tie for sixth place in a very strong field and earn her Big Ten Player of the Week honors for this week.
"It is great to see the hard work she put in during the off season paying off already this season," Oehrlein said.
Joining Elliott for the trip south will be seniors Jackie Obermueller and Lindsay McMillan, and freshmen Jeana Dahl and Isabel Alvarez — the same five-player team that competed in Puerto Rico.
Much like the Puerto Rico tournament, the Badgers will face another very tough field at the "Mo" Morial Invitational, which features three teams in the National Golf Coaches Association Top 25 poll. Oehrlein identified the No. 15 Aggies, No. 10 Arkansas and No. 20 Kent St. as tournament favorites along with Baylor.
Baylor is coming off a first place finish at the Central District Invitational.
The tournament field will not be the only challenge the Badgers will endeavor. Texas A&M's home course, the new Jack Nicklaus designed Traditions Club, is one of the toughest courses on the collegiate circuit. Measuring roughly 6,400 yards, the par 72 Traditions Club will also be the host of the NCAA Central Regional Tournament.
"[Traditions Club] is a very tough course, but it is fair test and really a fun course to play," Oehrlein explained.
McMillan had plenty of fun playing Traditions last year, firing a three-day total 234 en route to a sixth place finish. That performance vaulted her to Big Ten Player of the Week status at the time. While her overall score of 16-over par may not appear overly impressive, it is indicative of the difficult nature of the course.
"She really played solid and smart the whole time, which is what you have to do on a difficult course such as [Traditions Club]," Oehrlein said.
The Badgers will need strong performances from the entire team, not just McMillan and Elliott, if they wish to compete.
"We really need four solid scores," Oehrlein said, adding that while the team takes five players, the top four scores from each round make up the team's score. "It's a very difficult tournament, and we need more consistent play going forward in the season."
While the forecast for this weekend calls for temperatures in the mid-80s around College Station — very warm compared to typical Wisconsin temperatures — Oehrlein does not foresee the heat being an issue.
"We worked hard in the off-season to get into good shape so heat and fatigue don't become issues," Oehrlein explained.
While College Station, Texas, may not be a hotbed of spring break activity, the Badgers hope to return from their trip with increased confidence after a well-played tournament.
