USD women’s golf looks to carry momentum into Xavier tourney

The University of South Dakota women’s golf team will be heading to Daytona Beach, Fla. for the LPGA Xavier Invitational beginning Friday afternoon.

The Coyotes recently placed their best of the season when they finished third at the University of North Dakota Tournament Sept. 16-17 and had their lowest team score of the season Sept. 23-24 at the South Dakota State Invitational where they placed sixth with 339 strokes.

This has been a much better season than last year, said junior Janice Baumberger, who placed 20th at the South  Dakota State Tournament.

“We are really talented, which makes it really hard to choose who is going to travel,” Baumberger said. “Any of us could pull out a really good score on any given day, which is something that’s great to have.”

The Coyotes have had strong performances on the individual level as well, including first-year Brenna Lervick who finished first at the SDSU Tournament.

Lervick’s win marked the first time a USD women’s golf member won a tournament since September 2007 when Amber Luitjens tied for first place at the Cobber Invitational in Detroit Lakes, Minn.

Head Coach Nick Hovden attributes Lervick’s success to her mental game and ability to stay focused after having a bad hole.

“She doesn’t let much get to her,” Hovden said. “She just keeps her head down which is important in golf because it’s more of a mental game than physical.”

The team as a whole is looking to improve its game as it prepares for spring conference play.

“We want to go out there and improve our scores, shoot lower — and keep our mental game strong,” Lervick said.

Following the LPGA Xavier Tournament the Coyotes will wrap up their 2013 fall season with the Missouri State Tournament in Springfield, Mo. Oct. 14-15.