University of Minnesota Athletics
GOLDEN GOPHERS HEAD TO WISCONSIN FOR THE LADY NORTHERN INVITATIONAL
9/14/1999 12:00:00 AM | Women's Golf
The tournament features 16 teams, including all 11 Big Ten teams, and serves as a course preview for the Big Ten Women's Golf Championship, which will be held at the same course on April 28-30.
LAST YEAR AT THE LADY NORTHERN -Michigan State won the 1998 tournament, held at Purdue, with a 54-hole score of 947. Minnesota finished eighth at 978. Ohio State won the 1999 Big Ten title with a 72-hole score of 1239; Minnesota was eighth at 1289.
GOLDEN GOPHER GOLFERS WIN MINNESOTA INVITATIONAL - The Minnesota women's golf team won the Minnesota Invitational at the Les Bolstad Golf Course as the tournament ended in a playoff for both the team title and individual title. The Golden Gophers won a one-hole playoff with Eastern Michigan for the team title, while Eastern Michigan's Stephanie Smoot earned medalist honors after outlasting Minnesota's Megan Stier (Belle Plaine, Minn./Belle Plaine) in six playoff holes.
THE TEAM RACE - Minnesota erased a seven-shot deficit in Sunday's final round, forcing a playoff with Eastern Michigan. The two teams were tied after the first round of 18 holes on Saturday before Eastern Michigan recorded a 310 in the second round to Minnesota's 317. But Minnesota rebounded with a round of 316 on Sunday, while Eastern Michigan shot 323, tying the team race at 948. The Golden Gophers won the team title on a one-hole playoff in head coach Melissa Arthur's coaching debut.
THE INDIVIDUAL RACE - Stephanie Smoot and Megan Stier were the top two individuals throughout the tournament's three rounds. Stier started the competition with a 73, followed by Smoot and Eastern Michigan's Devon Beveridge at 75. In the second round, Smoot evened the race by recording a 74 to Stier's 76, tying at 149 going into the final round of competition. Both shot 77 on Sunday to end the tournament at 226 and force a playoff. The two battled through six sudden-death playoff holes before Smoot birdied the par-5 No. 18 to earn the individual title.
HOLLATZ RECORDS TOURNAMENT'S ONLY PAR - Minnesota's Beth Hollatz (Redwood Falls, Minn./Redwood Falls), competing as an individual, was the only player to score par in a round during the tournament. Hollatz recorded a 72 in Sunday's final round and finished third at 228.
MINNESOTA'S TEAM SCORERS - Minnesota newcomer Karyn Stordahl (Owatonna, Minn./Owatonna) was the top team finisher for the Gophers, placing sixth at 235. Junior Katie Bakken (Brooklyn Center, Minn./Brooklyn Center) tied for ninth at 239, while sophomore Kristin Dooley (Albany, Minn./Albany) was 15th (242) and Cindy Cannon (Big Lake, Minn./Monticello) tied for 16th (243).
Minnesota Invitational Results Sept. 11-12, 1999 Les Bolstad Golf Course St. Paul, Minn. Team Scores 1.Minnesota 315-317-316- 948 E. Michigan 315-310-323- 948 3.Oral Roberts 321-315-314- 950 4.Idaho 320-316-315- 951 5.Northern Iowa 319-325-323- 967 6.Creighton 335-330-333- 998 7.Grand Valley 334-341-333-1008 8.Missouri-Kansas City 342-327-347-1016 9.Eastern Washington 340-333-347-1020 10.Loyola 348-339-353-1040 11.Truman State 359-355-369-1083 -Minnesota wins one-hole playoff Individual Scores 1.Stephanie Smoot E. Michigan 75-74-77-226 Megan Stier* Minnesota 73-76-77-226 3.Beth Hollatz* Minnesota 81-75-72-228 4.Karla Schuldt N. Iowa 76-76-79-231 5.Ashley Wilkerson Oral Roberts 79-76-79-234 6.Karyn Stordahl Minnesota 77-80-78-235 7.Devon Beveridge E. Michigan 75-79-82-236 8.Julie Wells Idaho 81-77-79-237 9.Megan Incheliff Oral Roberts 81-80-78-239 Katie Bakken Minnesota 77-82-79-239 11.Linzee Frei Idaho 81-76-83-240 Heidi Brown Oral Roberts 83-82-75-240 Nicole Keller Idaho 82-80-78-240 14.Trina Dirks N. Iowa 79-80-82-241 15.Kristin Dooley Minnesota 77-80-85-242 16.Katie Collins Grand Valley 79-87-77-243 Cindy Cannon Minnesota 84-79-80-243 Maria Valente Idaho 80-84-79-243 19.Laurie Engelking Oral Roberts 80-79-85-244 Kirstin Whalen Minnesota 84-82-78-244 Jasreen Nirmal E. Michigan 83-77-84-244 Jenny Bruun* Minnesota 84-78-82-244 -Smoot wins after six sudden-death playoff holes * Competed as an individual Minnesota Scores (Team Competitors) 6.Karyn Stordahl 77-80-78-235 9.Katie Bakken 77-82-80-239 15.Kristin Dooley 77-80-85-242 16.Cindy Cannon 84-79-80-243 19.Kirstin Whalen 84-82-78-244 38.Julie Skavanger 92-78-84-254 Minnesota Scores (Individual Competitors) 1.Megan Stier 73-76-77-226 3.Beth Hollatz 81-75-72-228 19.Jenny Bruun 84-78-82-244 33.Arminda Yutuc 82-84-85-251 35.Marilee Dahlman 86-82-85-253 38.Monica Haag 77-88-89-254 57.Laura Krumenauer 88-83-92-263 THE COACH -Melissa Arthur is in her first season as head coach at the University of Minnesota. Arthur is the former assistant golf coach for both the men's and women's teams at Washington State University. She was a two-time All-Big Eight Conference selection at Iowa State and earned first-team All-Midwest District accolades her senior season.
UP NEXT - Minnesota will compete at Michigan State on Sept. 25-26.
