April 18, 2010

Event: 2010 Lady Buckeye Invitational • Columbus, Ohio
Result: Northwestern 3rd of 12 teams • 73-over 937
Next Up: Big Ten Championships • Madison, Wis. • April 23-25
2010 Lady Buckeye Invitational Final Results

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Northwestern put together a 25-over 313 over the final 18 holes of the 2010 Lady Buckeye Spring Invitational, good enough for a third-place finish at the Scarlet Course at the Ohio State Golf Club. It is the highest team finish for the Wildcats since the 2007 Challenge at Wolfdancer and the fourth top-five finish for head coach Emily Fletcher's squad this season.

"Today's finish was a bit disappointing but good stuff to build on for sure," said Fletcher. "We feel good about where we are headed going into next week. Very proud of Kelsey's third-place finish, her Northwestern career best!"

Junior Kelsey Lindenschmidt (West Chester, Ohio/Ursuline Academy), who entered Sunday's final round atop the individual leaderboard, held her own en route to a third-place finish with a 15-over 231 (74-77-80) for the weekend, four shots back of Michigan State's Laura Kueny. It was the highest finish of Lindenschmidt's career, besting her 10th-place performance at last year's Big Ten Championships, and marks the second top-10 finish of her Wildcat career.

Following Lindenschmidt on the Wildcat scorecard was the sister duo of Alexandra and Rebecca Lederhausen (Hinsdale, Ill./Central), as Alex's 3-over 75 was the top round of the day for Northwestern. She posted a 22-over 238 (84-79-75), putting her into a tie for 17th-place overall and giving Alex her fourth top-20 finish of the season. Sister Rebecca finished a shot behind with a 23-over 239 (80-77-82), just missing her first top-20 placing of the year as she tied for 21st overall.

The other three Wildcat competitors were right in the mix as well with sophomore Kylie Fuller (Temecula, Calif./Chapparal) finishing tied for 24th with a 24-over 240 (84-75-81), one shot better than freshmen Lauren Weaver (Scottsdale, Ariz./Cactus Shadows) and Mei Liu (Austin, Texas/Lake Travis).

Northwestern began the day nine shots back of Ohio State in second place but were unable to catch the Buckeyes who rolled to capture their host tournament with a 55-over 919. 10th-ranked Michigan State made a run over the final 18 holes as well, posting a round-best 14-over 302 to nip the Wildcats out of a runner-up finish with a 69-over 933. NU ended the 54-hole tournament 10 strokes better than fourth-place Kent State (83-over 947) and 12 shots ahead of fifth-place Iowa State (85-over 949).

The Lady Buckeye served as the final tune-up for Northwestern before next weekend's Big Ten Championships in Madison, Wis. The Wildcats, who placed fourth in last year's Championships, got a first hand look at the majority of the golfers they will be competing against, finishing ahead of conference opponents Indiana, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Iowa and Penn State. The 2010 Big Ten Championships get underway Friday, April 23 and wraps up Sunday, April 25.

2010 Lady Buckeye Spring Invitational Results

3 - Kelsey Lindenschmidt - 74-77-80=231 (+15)
T17 - Alexandra Lederhausen - 84-79-75=238 (+22)
T21 - Rebecca Lederhausen - 80-77-82=239 (+23)
T24 - Kylie Fuller - 84-75-81=240 (+24)
T26 - Lauren Weaver - 81-79-81=241 (+25)
T26 - Mei Liu - 81-83-77=241 (+25)