The Iowa State University women’s golf team will be participating in the final Big Eight golf tournament to be completed today at the Glen Oaks Country Club in Des Moines.

The Cyclones are one of the favorites for the final trophy as the team will have three of the top 10 golfers in the country participating.

Among them is senior Holly Duncan. The Cyclone golfer will be looked upon to lead the team along with fellow senior Beth Bader.

Duncan appears on the Big Eight board in sixth place with an average stroke total of 79.4 during the spring season.

The others include Cathy Matthews with her eighth place placement in the Big Eight along with Bader in ninth place.

Matthews, during her spring season tour, has averaged 79.8 strokes-per-round, while her senior counterpart has averaged 80.

The final two slots will be filled by junior Gwynn Shepherd and sophomore Fiona Watson. Watson has averaged 80.7 strokes-per-round to find herself in 12th place in the conference and Shepherd is in 14th with her 81 strokes-per-round average.

The Cyclones will also be looked upon to be among the top contenders in the tournament.

Others include the Oklahoma State Cowgirls team.

The team, which features the top three golfers in the conference, includes sophomore Anna Lindblom, junior Jennifer Bartley and freshman Lotta Stromlid.

All three average less than 78.5 strokes per round.

“We are looking forward to playing,” Cowgirl head coach Ann Pitts said. “It is a privilege to play.”

The coach thinks the tournament will be very competitive.

“The Big Eight is very competitive,” she said. “Anything can happen and we are not taking anything for granted.”

Iowa State head golf coach Julie Manning said that the team is ready to begin.

“We are anxious to play,” Manning said. “This season is coming to a pinnacle.

“We have been preparing for this all season and are hoping all of the elements are coming together.”

Manning said that the team got a good draw to start the tournament.

“We are playing Nebraska,” she said.

In a recent coaches’ poll, Manning said that Iowa State was predicted to finish in a tie for third place.

“They are listing us as an underdog, and I like that,” Manning said.

Besides Iowa State and Oklahoma State, other teams which look to be in the hunt include Oklahoma, Missouri and Nebraska.

The Sooners are led by the junior Paula King, who is fifth in the conference with a 79.1 stroke average.

Sooner coach Carol Ludvigson is looking for a solid performance from her team with only one goal in mind.

“We want to win the final Big Eight tournament,” she said. “But if we can’t we would like to put up three good team scores.”

The Tigers are also looking for solid rounds.

“We want a good performance from each individual,” Tiger coach Mary Scott said. “This course is a great test of every facet of our game.

“The course appears to test our short games, which we have been working on for the last two weeks.

“We need to respect the course because of its interesting pin placements,” she said.

The final member looking to compete for the title is Nebraska.

The Cornhuskers were projected to finish in second place in the team title chase.

“We are looking to put together three consistent rounds,” head coach Robin Krapfl said. “We have a chance to win if we go out and play to our capabilities.

“But if we are unable to win, we will just go out and accomplish our goals.”

Other participants in the tournament include Kansas State, Colorado and Kansas.

The Wildcats are looking to finish in the top six.

“We are playing a freshman, a sophomore and three seniors,” first year coach Kristi Knight said. “And because of that we are not as talented.

“But we do have a lot of fight,” the coach said.

“We will be thrilled to finish in the top six because we have struggled for most of the spring,” the coach said. “This will definitely be a putting and chipping contest, though, and the short game will determine the winner.”

Wildcat golfer Ann Slater will lead her team into the tournament with her 83.9 stroke total. Slaters’ score places her in 32nd place for the tournament.

The Jayhawks are also looking for a top six performance.

Head Coach Jerry Waugh said that the projected finish of sixth place is about right.

“Our goal is not to win the championship, but to move up a slot or two in the standings,” he said. “But based on our past performances that is our goal.”

The coach explained that the team is a young one and is out to gain experience.

“We are going to learn from this season and are going to build from it,” the coach said. “But it will be important to play as well as we can play for the championship.”

The Jayhawk squad is led by freshman golfer Mandy Munsch, who averaged 81.9 per round during the spring to find herself in a tie for 22nd place in the conference.

Colorado, though, is a different story.

The Buffalo program is only in its second year of existence.

Head Coach Justi Miller said that they had five very good golfers.

“We are out to prove ourselves to the rest of the Big Eight,” she said. “We have five very good golfers that if they all put up their best scores can really perform.”

The Buffaloes are led by sophomore golfer Linda Sue Linton with her 82.4 average stroke total.

The score places her in 27th place in the conference.

With the tournament in Iowa State’s backyard, the Cyclones may have gained a psychological advantage over the field.

Look for a wrap-up of the tournament in the Wednesday edition of the Daily with all of the complete results and highlights from the 54-hole tournament.