As the cold, cruel autumn weather arrives, golf takes an extended leave of absence.
Both Hoosier golf teams rounded out their fall season this past week down in the south, and will wait for the opportunity of warmer weather to continue their 2023-2024 golf campaign.
But for now, we take a peek at how both teams have performed so far, and hand them a grade for their seasons to improve on when play returns.
Grading the women’s team
The women’s golf team recently traveled to Starkville, Mississippi to compete in the Ally Invitational, and it’s safe to say that they were ready to compete. After day one, the Hoosiers led the field after firing a 281 on the round, and finished out third overall on the weekend. Indiana’s total score of 875 helped earn the team’s highest finish since its last victory at the Courtney Cole Invitational on Oct. 5, 2021.
Along with that finish, Indiana beat out some very impressive programs, including No. 6 LSU and No. 37 Louisville in its quest to earn a bronze.
Individuals also improved upon previous tournaments as both Caroline Smith (68-77-70; -1) and Caroline Craig (67-73-75; -1) earned top-5 finishes. Reliable transfer Chloe Johnson did not compete in this tournament, which makes IU’s finish on the final tournament before the break that much more impressive.
Even though the finishing effort of the fall season was valiant, it’s unfair to ignore the prior matches for the women’s squad. In the Evie Odom Invitational, Indiana finished 11th, a place worse than last year, and had finished at seventh place in every other tournament before the Ally Invitational. Head coach Brian May has also presented a different group of golfers in every tournament, largely due to the lack of consistency across tournaments.
However, the most recent finish at The Ally Invitational could give the Hoosiers some much-needed momentum heading into the “offseason” before play comes back in early February.
Season Grade: B-
Grading the men’s team
After riding a third-place finish the previous tournament, things were looking on the upside for Indiana men’s golf. Unfortunately, things did not end the way they had wished.
Indiana finished 10th at the Steelwood Collegiate tournament in Loxley, Alabama. It was IU’s first time posting a double-digit scoring position this year. The Hoosiers finished at a staggering 22 over par as a team, and only beat out four other teams in the tournament.
Individual play did see some success, this time coming from the sixth-year senior Noah Gillard. He earned himself another top-20 finish on the year after shooting a 218 (70-73-75; +2) on the weekend.
Although this tournament bore unwanted results, the positives are certainly there for Indiana’s season so far. The Hoosiers have posted three top-3 finishes, with their best coming in the Fighting Irish Classic where they tied for second.
Along with team success, individuals such as Gillard, senior Drew Salyers and freshman Cole Starnes continue to provide consistent play throughout tournaments. Robert Bender and Thomas Hursey currently round out the group for Indiana, but a change could come in to play as a result from the Steelwood Collegiate tournament.
A win may just be on the horizon for both teams, but we will have to wait for such a result.
Season Grade: B+
