April 18, 2003

EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern's women's golf team will travel to Columbus, Ohio this weekend for the 24th annual Lady Buckeye Invitational. The first two rounds of the 54-hole event will take place Saturday, with the final round set for Sunday morning. The event, hosted by Ohio State, will be held at the 6,037-yard, par-72 University Scarlet Course.

NU is coming off a 13th-place finish at the Lady Boilermaker Invitational last weekend. Senior Elizabeth Burden (Lake Bluff, Ill./Lake Forest) led NU, finishing 16th with a 14-over-par 230. Burden has carded five top-20 finishes in eight events this season.

The 11-team event marks NU's final tuneup for the Big Ten Championships, which are scheduled for April 25-27 in Iowa City, Iowa. The Lady Buckeye Invitational field features top teams from around the Midwest, including Big Ten entries No. 17 Ohio State, Indiana, Minnesota, defending champion Kent State.

NU is coming off a series of strong showings at the Lady Buckeye. The 'Cats placed third at the event in both 2000 and 2001, before a sixth-place finish in last year's event.