Paducah Sun golf article

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[size=150]Lady Racers work to catch up with OVC tourney hosts JSU [/size]

By Dusty Luthy dluthy@paducahsun.com--270.575.8662
 
Friday, April 11, 2008

Going into the Crimson Tide Classic, Murray State women's golf coach Velvet Milkman hoped to have a good springboard to give her team confidence going into the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament on Monday. A tenth place finish has made her change her thinking.

"We did not play to our potential, which to me is not a bad thing," Milkman said. "Going into the tournament, it just shows you the weaknesses you have to improve to get better."

For three days, starting Monday, the Racers will compete in the OVC Championship Tournament held in Florence, Ala. The winning team will advance to represent the conference in the NCAA Tournament.

The Racers played some of the top golfers in the South last weekend in Tuscaloosa, Ala., where Joyce Trus was the Racers' top finisher in 36th place with a score of 82-77-78–237.

Regardless of the outcome of the Classic, the Racers were going to work on driving the ball for the OVC Tournament and the short game. After the Classic, Milkman has placed more emphasis on putting.

"The teams that shoot the low number make more putts than we do," she said. "And our mental process as well, we talk ourselves out of the things we should do. Sometimes we're our own worst enemy."

Scheduling a tournament in Alabama the week before also helps the players with the atmosphere and weather that will be similar to the conditions they expect to face again next week.

"The golf course will be very similar," Milkman said. "They like the golf course, got in three good days of competion and that will only make us better, just disappointed in where we finished."

Trus, Alex Hinteregger, Andrea Downer, Bethany Yates and Megan McKinney will play as the Racers' OVC team. All are underclassmen, something Milkman is trying to get out of her young players' minds.

"That's what wins championships is being solid throughout the line up and we have that," Milkman said. "I'm not really looking for one person to carry us; it's going to take all of us to accomplish this."

So far, the Racers have won two tournaments, the Racer Classic and the Shamrock Intercollegiate hosted by Winthrop in South Carolina. Downer was the first-place finisher in the Sea Trail Intercollegiate in the fall and McKinney was the low scorer in the Racer Classic.

"I think the spring is a learning process though the goal is to be peeking at the right time," Milkman said. "The closer you get to the conference, the better you want to be playing."

Leading the OVC and the three-time defending OVC champion, Jacksonville State will be the team for the Racers to beat Monday to advance for the NCAA.

"They're certainly beatable," Milkman said. "I think we can play with them; they're not the hands-down favorite."

OVC Women's tourney

When: Monday-Wednesday

Where: Florence, Ala.

At Stake: Top team earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Regional Tournament

TOP 10 SCORERS

Player Rounds Stroke Avg.

Mercedes Huarte (Jacksonville St.) 26 77.0

Carrie Riordan (Eastern Illinois) 19 77.8

Portia Abbott (Jacksonville St.) 26 78.0

Ashley Spangler (Tenn. Tech) 16 78.0

Diana Carlson (Tenn. Tech) 14 78.3

Ashley Cox (Jacksonville St) 26 78.3

Laura Cutler (Jacksonville St.) 26 78.3

Sara Hunt (Samford) 26 78.3

Katelyn Stanier (Samford) 26 78.4

Alexandra Hintereger (Murray State) 22 78.5

Murray State players

(Rank in OVC standings)

Alexandra Hintereger (10th) 22 78.5

Joyce Trus (12th) 14 78.9

Andrea Downer (14th) 24 79.1

Megan McKinney (16th) 21 79.6

Bethany Yates (19th) 24 79.9

Caroline Lagerborg (25th) 24 80.7