While the majority of ISU students were enjoying Spring Break, the ISU women’s golf team was battling it out at the Notre Dame Clover Cup in Mesa, Ariz.

Getting the opportunity to finally play golf outside, the women were excited and prepared to get out there and play.

“We did a lot of practicing,” said coach Christie Martens. “We were able to play a lot of different courses and get ready that way.”

The team finished in eighth place out of 12 schools at the Clover Cup. The coaches and players were not pleased with the way they performed and know they have the talent to do much better.

“We need to be able to play better in tougher conditions,” Martens said. “We need to go out there and have more competitiveness.”

With Spring Break as a time for people to get their minds off of school and the stress it brings, the players also were able to have their minds free and focus on playing.

“Having it be Spring Break, it gave us a lot more time to prepare and practice,” Martens said. “We are hoping this allows us to springboard off of the practicing and prepare us for the rest of the spring season.”

Sophomore Prima Thammaraks impressed her coaches with the way she played during Spring Break, especially because the team was finally able to practice outside on an actual course.

“I was able to actually spend some time out on the golf course and really get the feeling down of actually playing,” Thammaraks said.

The team as a whole is focusing on not trying too hard on every single shot and just doing what it needs to do to play well.

“I focused on what coach calls ‘function shots,’ which are shots that stay out of trouble,” Thammaraks said. “This allows myself to keep my mind positive.”

The team did not play the way it thought it prepared to play, but is looking forward to continually getting better and aiming for the NCAA tournament.

Iowa State will head to Tuscon, Ariz., to compete in the Mountain View Collegiate tournament Friday.