For the Ohio women’s golf team, this week will be the final chance to make some noise in the 2013 Mid-American Conference.
The Bobcats will compete in the Rocket Classic on Monday and Tuesday, as they will look to build on their sixth-place finish at The Preview last week. The Rocket Classic will be hosted at the Catawba Island Club in Port Clinton for the first time.
Thirteen teams – including Akron, Bowling Green, Cleveland State, Dayton and Toledo – will participate in the 54-hole event.
In Fishers, Ind. last week, Ohio shot a combined score of 315 strokes for 27-over-par. Senior Kristen Helmsdoerfer recorded a team-best score of 156 for 12-over-par, as she is one of two seniors aiming to make an impression during the last fall tournament of her NCAA career.
Senior Kara Brinkman and freshman Hailey Hrynewich matched each other’s scores last week with 160 total strokes (16-over-par). Each is expected to be key performers this week.
The Bobcats will return the same cast of golfers to the Rocket Classic, as Helmsdoerfer, Brinkmann, junior Julie Lechner, sophomores Angela Codian and Lauren McKinsie, along with freshman Hrynewich, will tee off Monday.
Catawba Island Club, which is located on the shores of Lake Erie, features a par-72 Arthur Hills Championship course. Hills is an American golf course designer that aims to make the best of golfers, as he has been a part of the design and layout processes of several USGA and PGA Championship courses.
Coach Kelly Ovington stressed that nothing is more important than steady and consistent performances from the top-six golfers — something that has led Ohio to success all season.
Tee-off will take place Monday morning and will last through Tuesday. For the first time in eight years, the tournament is being hosted by Toledo, which looks to defend its title from The Preview last week.
ks363012@ohiou.edu
