Despite undesirable weather and a two-hour rain delay, the Cardinals took home first place in the Butler Spring Invitational. And if first place wasn't enough, two Ball State University underclassmen had a playoff for the top individual score of the tournament.
A week after placing last in the Rio Verde Collegiate Invitational, the Ball State women's golf team finished first in their opening Midwest tournament of the year. With a total two-round score of 637 and a 13-shot lead, the Cardinals defeated eight other schools competing in the tournament.
"The first day of the tournament got off to a difficult start," coach Katherine Mowat said. "The course was wet and almost not playable."
Through the rain, two underclassmen took charge in the opening round. Sophomore Sarah Windlan shot a 78 and freshman Kirsty O'Conner shot a 77 as the two led the Cardinals to a six-shot advantage at the end of the first day.
"On day one I went up a club on each hole," Windlan said, "I had to be more aggressive in those conditions."
The two continued to lead the Cardinals on the second day with Windlan shooting a 78 and O'Conner shooting a 79.
The young Cardinal team gained a lot from the tournament, especially during the six-hour first round, Mowat said.
"It was good experience for us to be leading after the first day," Mowat said. "Attitude is what counts on a day like that; we needed to be patient."
A playoff hole was needed to decide the individual winner between O'Conner and Windlan, who were tied for first place at 156 at the end of the tournament.
"It was a bit of a twist," O'Conner said. "Obviously you don't want to go against a teammate, especially when she's playing so well."
O'Conner beat Windlan by one shot after one playoff hole.
"It was hard playing against a teammate because I'm so competitive," Windlan said. "But it was great to see two BSU individuals on top."
The team's next competition is April 2 and will be hosted by the University of Cincinnati.
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