Golf team back in swing of things

Jeff Russ

The 25th-ranked women’s golf team opened up 2007 with a 12th-place finish in the Northrup Grumman Regional Challenge in Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.

The team shot 937 during the three-day tournament, despite not having played outdoors in a month.

“This helped the team out by playing in a tournament loaded with talent,” head coach Mike Morrow said.

The team had been practicing on artificial surfaces three days per week, but Morrow thought they made a quick adjustment to grass.

“They worked real hard and utilized every minute,” he said. “I’m really proud of how they competed.”

The team finished ahead of two warm weather teams, Florida State and University of California, Berkeley.

The team also finished ahead of Ohio State.

Morrow said the team got better as the tournament went on.

Sophomore Kirby Dreher tied for 31st with 230, and Junior Tara Delaney finished with the team’s best individual score, tying for 26th with a 228.

Delaney expected more, though.

“It’s kind of a disappointment,” she said. “I didn’t play to the best of my ability.”

Delaney said it was difficult to make the transition back to real grass.

“It is hard to adjust and shoot low scores without playing for months,” she said.

But Delaney said now that the season is underway, the team knows what it must do to improve.

“We know right off the bat where we need to go,” Delaney said. “It’s good to play against other teams competing for the national championship.”

The team’s next tournament is Feb. 23 and 24 in Puerto Rico. Contact sports reporter Jeff Russ at [email protected].