After about a month off from tournament play, the ISU women’s golf team hopes to roll back into competition with consistency at the Marsh Landing Invitational on Monday, April 8, 2013, at Jacksonville, Fla. 

The 2013 invitational presents a sizeable 20-team pool containing numerous ranked teams. The No. 29 Cyclones will face five other teams ranked in the Golfweek/Sagarin Top 50, including No. 11 Purdue, No. 19 Texas Tech, No. 43 Florida State, No. 45 Central Florida and No. 49 East Carolina.

Coming off of a second-place finish at the Purdue Mount Vintage Invitational in March, the Cyclones prepare to open tournament play with a specific goal in mind.

“We want to break 285 [strokes] — so 3-under for the team,” said sophomore Chonlada Chayanun. “That’s our goal, we need to break it.”

Junior Sasikarn On-Iam said keeping consistency is also an objective for the Cyclones.

“We try to stay consistent, but this time we want to get lower; everybody tries to get under par,” On-Iam said.

The team finished the last tournament with a second-round low of 301. Chayanun said her recent improvements have given her confidence.

“We have been practicing putting and chipping — they are so important for golf game,” Chayanun said. “My short game is a lot better. I feel like I am going to play much better than the last tournament.”

With the weather warming up, practice has been held outside, providing the team a better opportunity to handle realistic weather factors.

On-Iam said practicing outside is colder but worthwhile.

“It’s a good opportunity to practice in this kind of weather, with the cold and the wind,” On-Iam said.

For the upcoming tournament, On-Iam said she is hoping to improve on her chipping, and that it has been difficult getting used to weather-related hazards like the wind. Keeping these short game strokes low will help On-Iam meet her goal.

“I’m trying to get under par in every round, that’s my goal,” On-Iam said.

Tournament play is set to commence on Monday, April 8.