April 14, 2011

Lady Buckeye Invitational
Site: The Ohio State University Golf Club (Par 72, 6,275 yards) • Columbus, Ohio
Dates: Saturday, April 16 through Sunday, April 17
Format: 54 holes (36 holes Saturday and 18 holes Sunday)
Field -- 12 Teams (Golfstat.com ranking): Northwestern (40), Illinois (61), Indiana (67), Iowa (132), Iowa State (15), Kent State (32), Michigan State (22), Minnesota (39), Ohio State (30), Penn State (78), Wisconsin (60), Xavier (130)
Live Scoring: Golfstat.com

EVANSTON, Ill. -- Before hosting the Big Ten Championships at the end of April, Northwestern must travel to Columbus, Ohio, to wrap up the regular season in the Lady Buckeye Invitational on Saturday and Sunday.

Hosted by Ohio State, the 54-hole tournament gets underway with a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday and wraps up with another 8:30 a.m. shotgun start on Sunday. Now in its 31st year, the contest will be played on the Scarlet Course at The Ohio State Golf Club on the campus of Ohio State.

Familiar Faces
Twelve teams are in the lineup for this year's Lady Buckeye, nine of which hail from the Big Ten. This gives the 'Cats the opportunity to prepare for the Big Ten Championships which are the following week in Glencoe, Ill. In all, Northwestern has faced each club participating at least once this year, seeing three teams at least five times in that span (Indiana, Iowa State, and Ohio State).

Rank `Em
Of those familiar faces, there are six teams in the top-40 Golfstat.com rankings -- including the 'Cats who sit at No. 40. No. 15 Iowa State, No. 22 Michigan State, No. 30 Ohio State, No. 32 Kent State, and No. 39 Minnesota round out the top of the group, followed then by No. 60 Wisconsin, No. 61 Illinois, No. 67 Indiana, No. 78 Penn State, No. 130 Xavier, and No. 132 Iowa who bring up the rest of the field.

Last Time Out
Northwestern comes off a visit to California over 10 days ago for the Inaugural Pacific Coast Intercollegiate in scenic Half Moon Bay, Calif. NU Sophomore Lauren Weaver fired a 3-under 69 in the first round, leading the way for the 'Cats as they came out of the gates with a tourney-best 5-over 293. In the second round, however, Northwestern's lead diminished quickly, and the 'Cats struggled to maintain seventh place on the day.

On the second day, Northwestern found better luck, bouncing back with a final round 6-over 294 which was good enough for a strong fifth-place finish for the tournament. Weaver finished tied for fourth place in the individual score while other Wildcats made a major push on the final day, including junior Alex Lederhausen and her older sister, Rebecca Lederhausen, who both had their best performances of the year in the final round, and even-par 72 for Alex and a 1-over 73 for Rebecca.

Big Week for Big Tens
Following the Lady Buckeye Invite, Northwestern will return home to host the Big Ten Championships on April 22 at Lake Shore Country Club in Glencoe, Ill., The event will be the last time the Big Ten Championships will be held on campus. French Lick Resort in Indiana will begin hosting the Big Ten Men's and Women's Championships in 2012.

Live scoring for the 31st annual Lady Buckeye Invitational will be available both days at Golfstat.com.