The Eastern women’s golf team is set for the IPFW invitational in Fort Wayne, Ind., at the Pine Valley Country Club this weekend.

After struggling last weekend at the Saluki invite, Eastern will have a chance to bounce back this weekend.

Junior Madison Burgett was the Panthers’ leading golfer last weekend, tying for 59th place with a two-round score of 170.  This was Burgett’s best two-round score she has had all year, including the fall season.

Junior Chloe Wong had the low-round score on the team of 83.  With a total score of 173, she is picking up where she left off from her 172 at the Dayton Hall invitational in the fall.

Sophomore Anne Bahr tied for 65th with a two-round score of 172 last weekend.  With an overall team-leading average of 83.58, she will lead the Panthers into the IPFW invitational.

What propelled her score of 172 at Southern was her strengths in driving and connecting with the green, she said.

“I was striking the ball really well this past weekend, as well as hitting quite a few greens in regulation,” Bahr said.  “I hope to continue that into this upcoming weekend.”

Bahr had her worst placing at the Saluki invite and is looking to make improvements for next weekend’s invitational.

“I still need some more work on my putting and short game in order to be ready for the IPFW invite,” Bahr said.  During the week, Bahr has been working on her short game drills and putting in as much practice time that she can.

Bahr has the two lowest round scores for Eastern this year, having a 78 at the Dayton Fall invitational and an 80 at the Murray State Fall invitational back in the fall season.

She has set goals for next weekend, focusing on having a positive attitude during the round.

“My main goal for this upcoming weekend is to keep my mental game under control,” Bahr said. “It can become hard to stay positive during a round that you basically have to grind through if you’re not playing well.

Junior Alexandra Pickens and freshman Katlyn Hasprey round out the top five Panthers, with Pickens scoring a 180 and Hasprey a 188.

Since Hasprey is the only freshman on the team, she has four years to grow as a golfer and grow as a future leader.

The Pine Valley Country Club has a par 70 for the women compared to a 71 for the men.

Adam Shay can be reached at 581-2812 or acshay@eiu.edu