The Illinois women's golf team battled rain delays, strong winds and inexperience in order to finish in 6th place at the Badger Invitational this past weekend.

Competing in their first tournament of the season, the Illini compiled a score of 643 to finish 35 strokes behind tournament winner Michigan State's 608.

Originally scheduled for 54 holes at the par 72 University Ridge Golf Course, the 9-team tournament had to be cut to 36 holes after the area was constantly hit with rain throughout the weekend. Finding a rhythm was nearly impossible after weather-induced delays forced players to start and stop their rounds numerous times.

"It was definitely good to get this one out of the way," said junior Lyndsey Milligan. "It was a good test for the team. These were the worst conditions I've ever played in. It messes with your focus. This tournament will probably be the most hectic we'll have to play in."

With three of the Illini's five travelers having very limited tournament experience at the college level, Illinois went into the invitational hoping to finish in the top five. The team ended play just three strokes behind fifth-place Arkansas-Little Rock. The Illini did finish ahead of Big Ten rivals Iowa and Minnesota, but fell short of Michigan State, Purdue, Northwestern and Wisconsin.

"We were able to compare ourselves to the other Big Ten teams," sophomore Megan Godfrey said. "There's a lot of room for improvement. We'll be challenging them all year."

Surprisingly, it was two of the newcomers who made some of the biggest contributions.

The best news of the weekend was made by Godfrey, who placed ninth after carding rounds of 79 and 76 for an 11-over par. After playing in just four tournaments as a freshman, Godfrey registered her first Top 10 finish with Illinois.

"It was one of my goals to finish in the Top 10 coming into the tournament," said Godfrey. "It was a great positive for the newcomers. It's very nerve-wracking to play on your first college trip. I think the newcomers will be a big asset to the team."

Milligan, who as a junior traveled for the first time in her collegiate career, set a career best by finishing 19-over par and tied for 24th. Senior co-captain Marla Cox tied for 17th with a score of 161, while the other captain on the team, senior Michelle Carroll, scored a 164 to tie for 26th. Freshman Meghan Naik rounded out the lineup with a 174 to finish in a tie for 38th.

"We were happy to finish in the middle of the field," said Milligan. "With the conditions it's not really fair to gauge the true ability of the team. We think that when we do play to our potential we can win some tournaments."