Belles finish 2nd at 1st tournament
By DONNA LUBBERS
Sports Writer
The Saint Mary's golf team finished a close second at a tournament at the Brookwood Golf Course Saturday just two strokes behind tournament winner DePauw.
"It was our first tournament of the spring season, and with nerves and all, we just couldn't put it all together," Belles' coach Theresa Pekarek said.
The Belles shot a team total score of 363. Freshman Julia Adams led the way with the team low of 87, followed closely by freshman Stephanie Simmerman shooting 88 and senior captain Megan Keleher with 91.
"The consistency of our freshmen is probably one of our biggest strengths right now," Pekarek said. "They'll definitely be leading the way over the next three years."
"I feel like I could have shot four or five strokes better," said Adams. "I missed three or four two-foot putts that I probably should have made. It felt good to lead the team, but I still feel like I could improve."
Playing at Brookwood Golf Course in Buchanan, Mich., the Belles definitely felt like they had home course advantage.
"I felt like we knew the course a little better because we play it so much. We got some of the holes the other teams messed up on," Adams said.
"The greens were recently aerated and bumpy — they are always tough to read," said Simmerman. "My putting wasn't up to pa, either."
The Belles had hoped to finish first Saturday but are more confident in their upcoming tournament at Tri-State University, Saturday and Sunday at 1 p.m. and 10 a.m., respectively. They will only have two tournaments for the spring season.
"I think we all played well but could have done a little better," said Adams, "I was pretty happy overall."
"It was our first competition this season," Simmerman said. "We went out there expecting a good time. I'm looking forward to a better overall finish for myself and for the team next weekend."
All Sports Stories for Monday, April 15, 2002
