Iowa State’s women’s golf team is heading east to compete in the Windy City Collegiate Classic on Monday and Tuesday in Highland Park, Ill.

The team has finished in second and fourth place overall in their opening two competitions, and another impressive finish at the Windy City Collegiate Classic would mark a good start to the season for the Cyclones.

Tournament play will start as early as 9:30 a.m. Monday. Teams will be playing in threesomes for a total of 54 holes.

Northwestern University is the host of the tournament, which will be played at the Northmoor Country Club golf course.

There will be a lot to watch for at this tournament. A total of 11 teams will be competing, including the 2009 NCAA champions, Purdue.

ISU conference rival Texas Tech will also be there along with Central Florida, East Carolina, New Mexico, Northwestern, San Diego State, Texas Christian University, UNC-Greensboro and UNC-Wilmington.

The Cyclones are facing some of their hardest competition of the year at this tournament.

The Cyclones will bring a very complete team.

Senior Laurence Herman placed in the top 10 at last week’s tournament, marking her eighth career top 10 finish. Kristin Paulson, Victoria Stefansen and Prima Thammaraks have all had good starts to the season as well.

Sophomore Punpaka Phuntumabamrung has emerged as one of the top players in the NCAA this season, as she placed in the top 10 of all competitors in both of the season’s first two tournaments.

Phuntumabamrung said she has come out so strong in large part due to improved consistency in her game. She said she rarely hits shots that land far off target, and if she does she is able to recover quickly and keep the hole alive.

One of the biggest names to be at the tournament will be Purdue’s, Maude-Aimee LeBlanc. She is one of three returning seniors from Purdue’s championship team last year. She was a First Team All-American in 2009 with the lowest average score in the Big Ten.

Northwestern is glad to be hosting this tournament again. It is always one of the most popular for players and fans alike.

“Our goal with this tournament is to make it one of the premiere women’s golf tournaments in the country, and the teams that have competed in the past have had rave reviews about it,” said Northwestern head coach Emily Fletcher on the university’s website. “Our volunteers and fans are extremely excited to put on another top-notch event, and we’re hoping to make this year’s Windy City the best yet.”

You can track the Cyclones’ and other teams’ progress at the tournament live at www.golfstat.com.