Durisic wins Wolverine Invitational, Cyclones finish 4th
Liyana Durisic watches as her shot approaches the green April 5 at the Cyclone Sports Complex.
September 14, 2021
The Iowa State women’s golf team finished fourth in the Wolverine Invitational Tuesday in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
A final round 295 (+11) gave them a final score of 871 (+19). The host team Michigan won the season’s opening tournament, as they were the only team to shoot under par (-1). Virginia finished second after shooting +5 on the day, tied for the best team score in the field. They finished +11 (863). Virginia Tech finished just ahead of ISU in third place at +16.
The Cyclones certainly would’ve enjoyed a bit more consistency at Firethorn Golf Club, but the fourth place finish in the 16-team tournament to begin the season is encouraging. They clearly have the talent to compete with anyone in the country. The three scores of 297, 279, and 295 were a bit all over the place, but a few of their individuals performed mightily.
Liyana Durisic entered the season with the best career stroke average in Iowa State women’s golf history. The Wolverine Invitational was a tremendous start to her season, as she tied Michigan’s Mikaela Schulz atop the leaderboard for the win. Durisic took the lead from Schulz Tuesday and was up by a few strokes after the first nine holes, but Schulz stormed back on the back nine. The co-winners each shot 72 (+1) in the third round and 210 for the tournament. Their -3 resulted in the only golfers who shot under par for the tournament.
Durisic’s win was historic, as it’s the first such individual feat for a Cyclone since Celia Barquin Arozamena won the Big 12 Championship in 2018. Her score of 210 was a good for a career-best. It’s just the start to the season that Durisic wanted.
Thailand native Taglao Jeeravivitaporn shot a final round 74 to finish tied-for-11th. Warda Rawof shot a 74 Tuesday as well to finish tied-for-26th. Fellow Cyclones June Song and Ruby Chou ended the tournament in 52nd and tied-for-53rd, respectively.
The Cyclones will next tee off on September 26th and 27th in Norman, Oklahoma at the Schooner Fall Classic. The event should provide another challenge for the already battle-tested Iowa State team.
