Women’s golf team finishes second at Purdue Mount Vintage

Lauren Hedrick

Confidence and mental consistency came through for the No. 28 ISU women’s golf team last weekend when it took home second place at the Purdue Mount Vintage Invitational on March 10, 2013 with a three-round score of 911, just one stroke shy of Coastal Carolina (910).

The Cyclones tallied a 305 in the first and third rounds and a 301 in the second.

Sophomore Chonlada Chayanun tied for second individually with a three-round 223 in her best collegiate finish. Chayanun’s 54-hole score was her lowest of the season, which also marked her first top-10 finish of the season and the second of her career.

“I feel like my confidence is getting a lot better,” Chayanun said. “If you play without confidence, how are you going to play well? You have to have confidence to play better golf.”

Chayanun tallied a 77-71-76 for her finish, merely three strokes behind her career best. Chayanun thanked her putting for her top-10 finish but said that learning from her mistakes and keeping her mental game in check always help maintain her control.

“At night, I think about how I am going to play these holes the next day so I can control myself better,” Chayanun said. “Now, my mental game is the most important thing for my attitude. I believe in myself; it’s not about my swing at all.”

Senior Punpaka Phuntumabamrung finished seventh individually with 227 strokes, marking her second top-10 finish of the season and the 10th of her career.

“I feel pretty good overall. I feel more confidence in my game than in past tournaments,” Phuntumabamrung said.

Phuntumabamrung said she struggled with her mental game earlier in the season and has been working to improve her confidence and mental strategy.

“I have been working with my coach. So, that really has helped me a lot,” Phuntumabamrung said. “My mental strategy was different. I was out there to perform. So, I did a really good job this time.”

The team will depart to Arizona over Spring Break to get some outdoor course practice.