Salukis travel to Mizzou for Johnie Imes Invitational
09/28/2014 | 12:00:00 | Women's Golf
By Elizabeth Robinson
SIUSalukis.com
COLUMBIA, Mo. - After two back-to-back tournament wins, the Saluki women's golf team travels to Columbia, Mo. to play in the Johnie Imes Invitational on Monday and Tuesday. The tournament, hosted by Mizzou - an SEC school, features 15 schools from across the country. According to head coach Alexis Mihelich, this week's tournament could be the toughest competition the Salukis face all year.
"With it being an SEC host, the field is really strong. Especially because SIU is a mid-major school and we're going up against some majors, our team likes to play with something to prove and they know they're just as good," Mihelich said.
The Salukis are coming off a home tournament, where they took first place, and junior Mattie Lindner competed in a playoff to take second place individually. Lindner was named MVC Golfer of the Week as a result of her success.
Lindner, along with sophomore Brooke Cusumano, freshman Alice Ho and sophomores Kristie Yang and Xianmei Jin will represent SIU. Cusumano, Lindner and Jin are all experienced competitors, but Ho and Yang are still adjusting to the competition. This week will be Ho's first tournament in the top-five line-up.
"Alice has been really consistent, so I hope she has a really good run. Kristie hasn't had any breakout rounds, so I'm hoping this will be that tournament for her. I'm hoping they'll lose any nerves and will be able to shoot low," Mihelich said.
SIU is one of four Missouri Valley Conference teams competing at the Johnie Imes Invitational, along with Bradley, Illinois State and Wichita State. According to Mihelich, the Salukis' goal is to finish equal to or ahead of the other MVC schools.
"We know we're a good team and the girls know that they can score low and that it takes all five players to win as a team," Mihelich said. "Our goal is to continue to shoot the scores we've been shooting. If we can keep doing that, we'll be right in the mix."
The first shotgun round begins at 8:15 a.m. on Monday, followed by the second at approximately 1 p.m. The tournament is being held at The Club at Old Hawthorne Course, which plays 7,221 yards and is a par-72 course. Live scoring of the Johnie Imes Invitational can be found at BirdieFire.com.
Players Mentioned
