The Cyclone women golfers returned from Minnesota with a fourth place finish in a 13 team tournament.

ISU’s 36 round total came to 619, only six strokes behind third-ranked Southern Illinois. Minnesota, which won the tournament, was led by one of the Midwest’s best, Amy Dahle, who earned medalist honors with a score of 136. The Gopher’s team scored totalled 591. Northern Illinois came in 15 strokes behind.

Cyclone freshman Cathy Ennis led the team and tied for 14th out of 81 golfers.

Fiona Watson, Cathy Matthews and Sara Linneman registered identical rounds of 156 which put them in a tie for 19th.

Senior Linneman said, “I thought everybody on the team contributed, which is always a good thing. Everyone on the team knew that they could do better, but at the same time put out a reasonably good score.”

“I think we’re showing improvement every tournament. I think not only our physical skills [are improving], but our mental skills are improving,” Linnemans said.

Although the team always works on their physical abilities, she explained how mentality is an important aspect of golf and and that the team needs to continue to sharpen that skill.

“You have to be able to overcome bad shots,” Linneman said.

She said she believes that Coach Manning was pleased with the team’s physical game over the weekend, but she wants them to become stronger mental competitors who are able to put bad shots behind them.

The team heads to Boulder, Colo., for their next tournament on Sept. 27th. Linneman said the team’s focus is going to be on the mental aspect of the game.

Linneman said the team’s strength is their encouragement for one another and their ability to have a good time. She said the team tries to make their time together fun. She said that for the women, golfing is “not just a duty.”

In terms of encouragement, she said everyone hopes for a personal best for each individual. If all the individuals do well, the team can do well. In addition, with a happy game, there is a happy ride home, she said.

The women travel to Boulder, Colo. for their next tournament on Sept. 27th.

Hopefully, their meet performance will result in a happy ride home.