Spring Break
Women run out of gas after three rounds
McLean Bennett
Issue date: 10/6/08 Section: Sports
UW-Eau Claire women's golf coach John Means may want to issue a reprimand to whoever prayed for rain Sunday afternoon.
If that doesn't work, he'll have to settle for simply shaking his head at conference tournament officials who made what he considers a questionable call during Sunday's round of the WIAC tournament.
He may have to settle for the latter.
Following a rainstorm Sunday that drenched the conference championship golf course, Means said the Blugolds had to trek back onto the course to finish out 45 holes in what had been scheduled to be a 54-hole tournament.
But according to conference rules, Means said that the 54-hole tournament should have been cut to 36 holes after Sunday's rain delay, and that the decision by tournament officials to let the teams play out to 45 holes went against the WIAC rules.
"That's like playing three and a half quarters of football," he said.
By the end of the halved third round, the Blugolds had seen their 10-stroke lead over UW-Stevens Point shrivel to a three-stroke deficit, dashing Eau Claire's hope for a Cinderella-like run for a conference crown this year.
"You want the best team to win," Means said, "but when you decide to change the rules in the middle when the teams are playing and you know what they're shooting - to change it when they already had some scores that were already on their scorecard is just a travesty to the way the game was designed to be played."
The Blugolds entered Sunday's round leading Stevens Point 651-661, but shot 13 strokes more than the Pointers in the nine-hold third round to fall three strokes back and into second place.
"Golf can be funny," junior Torie Ives said. "Every day can be different."
Freshman Katie Maurer was the tournament's top golfer, finishing with 194 strokes and 14 over par. Ives tied for second place individually with 202 strokes and 22 over par.
The other six Blugolds who played in the tournament all finished in the top 25 individually. Freshmen Lauren Gault and Sara Mattes and sophomore Katie Swift finished in ties for 10th place, and freshmen Jamie Hauser and Jess Spitzer came in ties for 14th. Freshman Emily Swift rounded out the Blugolds' showing with a 22nd place finish. Mattes, Hauser and Spitzer played in the tournament's individual field.
If that doesn't work, he'll have to settle for simply shaking his head at conference tournament officials who made what he considers a questionable call during Sunday's round of the WIAC tournament.
He may have to settle for the latter.
Following a rainstorm Sunday that drenched the conference championship golf course, Means said the Blugolds had to trek back onto the course to finish out 45 holes in what had been scheduled to be a 54-hole tournament.
But according to conference rules, Means said that the 54-hole tournament should have been cut to 36 holes after Sunday's rain delay, and that the decision by tournament officials to let the teams play out to 45 holes went against the WIAC rules.
"That's like playing three and a half quarters of football," he said.
By the end of the halved third round, the Blugolds had seen their 10-stroke lead over UW-Stevens Point shrivel to a three-stroke deficit, dashing Eau Claire's hope for a Cinderella-like run for a conference crown this year.
"You want the best team to win," Means said, "but when you decide to change the rules in the middle when the teams are playing and you know what they're shooting - to change it when they already had some scores that were already on their scorecard is just a travesty to the way the game was designed to be played."
The Blugolds entered Sunday's round leading Stevens Point 651-661, but shot 13 strokes more than the Pointers in the nine-hold third round to fall three strokes back and into second place.
"Golf can be funny," junior Torie Ives said. "Every day can be different."
Freshman Katie Maurer was the tournament's top golfer, finishing with 194 strokes and 14 over par. Ives tied for second place individually with 202 strokes and 22 over par.
The other six Blugolds who played in the tournament all finished in the top 25 individually. Freshmen Lauren Gault and Sara Mattes and sophomore Katie Swift finished in ties for 10th place, and freshmen Jamie Hauser and Jess Spitzer came in ties for 14th. Freshman Emily Swift rounded out the Blugolds' showing with a 22nd place finish. Mattes, Hauser and Spitzer played in the tournament's individual field.
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