Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Salukis to compete at Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational in Hawaii
03/09/2015 | 12:00:00 | Women's Golf
By Elizabeth Robinson
SIUSalukis.com
OAHU, Hawaii - After nearly a month-long hiatus from competition, the Saluki women's golf team returns to the course tomorrow in Oahu, Hawaii for the Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational. The tournament will be played at Kane'ohe Klipper Golf Course on the Marine Corps Base in Kane'ohe, Oahu.
"The girls are really excited," head coach Alexis Mihelich said. "They're ready to get out on grass, see the ball fly and play a tournament. I think they're mentally prepared."
The recent winter weather spells to hit Carbondale have been less than ideal for the Salukis, keeping them inside for practice for the weeks leading up to this tournament. The team's last time playing outdoors was in the final round of the Eagle Invitational in Estero, Fla., in early February.
"We've been working on their full swings by hitting shots into the net, so from a technique standpoint they should be pretty accurate with their full shots," Mihelich said. "We're going to look really great off the tee, and then we'll just kind of see how we do on the greens to actually make the pars and birdies instead of bogies."
The 54-hold tournament will feature 15 teams, including two top-25 teams in Oklahoma State and Texas A&M. Baylor also presents a threat as the No. 30 team nationally. The competition field also includes a team from Japan, as well as teams closer to home, including Western Illinois and Middle Tennessee State.
Competition begins on Tuesday with a shotgun start at 8 a.m. UTC. Hawaii is five hours behind Central Time, however, making play begin at 1 p.m. CT. The girls will play 36 holes on the first day, followed by a round of 18 on Wednesday. Kane'ohe Klipper Golf Course is a par 72 course that plays 6,099 yards.
SIU will, once again, be represented by Brooke Cusumano, Xianmei Jin, Kris Grimes, Mattie Lindner and Kristie Yang, golfing in that order.
Click HERE for live scoring of the Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational, and follow along on Twitter at @SIU_WGolf for updates straight from Hawaii.
Players Mentioned
