Issue date: 3/12/09 Section: Sports

Eastern junior golfer Jaymie Voorhees follows through after driving the ball on the fourth hole during women's golf practice Monday at the Mattoon Country Club. (Karolina Strack/The Daily Eastern News)

The women's golf team has not played competitive golf as a team since Oct. 28, when the team finished off a solid fall campaign with a second-place finish at the Dayton Invitational out of 10 teams.

Sunday, the women's team will begin its spring campaign at the Samford Invitational at the Limestone Spring Golf Course in Oneonta, Ala.

Junior Jaymie Voorhees said the team has looked solid so far in the fall, and although it is early, they have been hitting well. She hopes the team can continue the pace they set in the fall (one first-place, three second-place finishes) with them this spring.

The Panthers finished fourth at the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament last season, which was its best finish since the 2003 season. During the 2003 season, the Panthers finished second.

"We have to continue to keep that drive to win," Voorhees said. "Our first goal is to go Regionals, and we want to win in conference."

She said she would obviously like to come in first every tournament, but she would be happy finishing in the top 10 and maintaining her scores to a level she knows she can perform.

Good weather last week and early this week allowed the team to play a couple of full rounds.

Senior Michelle Anderson said she was able to play 18 holes last Monday and Friday.

"We are all out there getting back into it," Anderson said. "But so far, as a group we look good."

The Panthers return Anderson, Voorhees, seniors Katie Imburgia and Carrie Riordan as a group that finished fourth last season.

Riordan said it has been rough training this spring because her schedule does not allow her to practice with the rest of her teammates.

"It can be tough because when you're struggling," she said. "You look to the other girls or coach for help."

She is excited for the tournament this weekend because she will get to take time out to be with her team and have fun.

Riordan earned First Team All-OVC honors last season and finished ninth at the OVC Tournament.

No one on the team has played this weekend's course in Alabama, but they said they have talked to players who have.

A number of players said they talked to the men's golf team who played at the course this past week for the Samford Invitational.

Anderson said her boyfriend plays golf for Southern Illinois Carbondale, a team that played in the tournament, and he told her about the course.

"He said it was a straight course, but there were a lot of pine trees," Anderson said. "He said it can be really tough because the greens are fast, but a lot of courses in Alabama are like that."

The men's team said it was a hilly course, so it was important that they got used to walking 18 holes again with the rounds earlier this week, Riordan said.

Voorhees said she has a simple goal for the tournament this weekend.

"We want to start off the season with our first No. 1 finish," Voorhees said. "We want to set the tone for the rest of the season."


Dan Cusack can be reached at 581-7944 or at dscusack@eiu.edu.

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