The Saint Mary's Golf team has four more events between now and the NCAA Championships in May, and the Belles will travel to Tri-State University this weekend to try to put a victory on the list.
This weekend's one-day event, which takes place on Saturday, ought to have much more to offer the ladies in the way of golfing conditions. The forecast for this weekend is warm and sunny, with little chance of precipitation. The day should be a nice change for the golfers, who were faced with a spring snow storm just one week ago.
The team will be playing this weekend at Zollner Golf Course on the Campus of Tri-State University. The course has been the three-time host of the National Collegiate Golf Championships as well as the site for Sectional State Open Qualifying and Indiana PGA Junior Age-Group Champion-ships. It is known for its strategically placed water hazards and hilly terrain and is considered by many as the "thinking player's" golf course.
Seniors Stefanie Simmerman and Julia Adams will be looked to in order to perform especially well for the Belles this weekend. Last weekend, Simmerman tied the top finisher of the day, Colleen Groomes from Otterbein College with a score of 83. Adams came in at a close third with an 84 on the day. However, the entire team worked together to produce a tournament-record score of 357 at the Player's Club Course last Friday, and it is that depth that will be counted on to earn a respectable finish this weekend at the Tri-State Invite.
Coach Mark Hamilton believes that his team has the experience that it takes in order to perform well this weekend and continue toward their goal of earning an invite to the NCAA Championships.
He also wants to make sure that his golfers are able to save their best for exactly the right moment.
"We're working, as a team, on peaking at the right time," he said.
The team, which is ranked third in the nation in many major polls for Division-III Women's Golf, will tee-off at Tri-State University at 10 a.m. on Saturday.