The Wisconsin men's golf team moved up to claim ninth place Sunday at the Fossum Invitational at Forest Akers West Golf Course in East Lansing, Mich. The finish was mainly due to Garrett Jones, who shot a final round 68 to post the best finish by a Badger this spring.
Jones tied for fourth place at 1-under 215 for his second top five finish of the season and first since a fourth-place tie at the season-opening Cleveland State Invitational last September. The junior has finished 23rd or better in nine of 11 tournaments this season, including six top-14 placements.
Jones leads the team in scoring average at 73.06. This total would rank second in Badger history behind Jones' own 72.74 average from last season.
As a team, the Badgers moved up one spot with a 295 on Sunday to finish ninth in their final warm-up before next weekend's Big Ten Championships. Wisconsin finished the tournament at 897, seven shots behind Ohio State for eighth place.
Freshman Pat Duffy closed out the weekend with a 78 to tie for 36th place at 227. Duffy ranks fifth on the team with an average of 75.9. Sophomore Jeff Kaiser finished two shots behind Duffy after a final round 72. Kaiser had led the team in four of eleven competitions, including six this spring.
As for the women, the team shot a 313 in Sunday's final round of the Lady Buckeye Invitational to finish in 12th place at 918 at the Golf Club of Dublin in Dublin, Ohio.
Sophomore Katie Elliott led the way for the Badgers for the fourth time in as many tournaments this spring. The Madison native tied for 29th place at 225 following a final round 76. Heading into next weekend's Big Ten Championships, Elliott has recorded scores of 76 or lower in five of her last six rounds.
Elliot leads the women's team in scoring average, with a 77.04. This total would rank eighth in school history. She is one of two players to compete in all twenty-seven tournament rounds this season.
One of the highlights of the weekend at the Lady Buckeye invitational had to be Lindsey McMillan; the senior fired a hole-in-one during the second round. McMillan ranks third on the team with an average of 79.0
The men's golf team will head to Conway Farms Golf Club in Lake Forest, Ill., April 28 to 30 to take part in the Big Ten Championships. The 11-team field will play 36 holes on Friday followed by 18 holes on both Saturday and Sunday. While the women head to Bloomington, Ind., April 28 to 30 to compete in the Big Ten championships. The 72-hole tournament will be played on the par 72, 6,142-yard IU Golf Course.
