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117 I t's not every day the University of Iowa women's golf tournaments include mountain views, palm trees, ocean breezes, and a run in with a (caged) tiger on the 17th hole, but that is the norm at El Tigre Golf Club in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. e inaugural Hawkeye-El Tigre Invitational concluded April 4, but the idea of hosting a tournament outside of the United States began years ago. "I got this idea when I was an assistant coach at Idaho," said Iowa assistant coach Michael Roters. "We had a player who had played the El Tigre Golf Club and talked about how great the facility was. I called El Tigre's head golf pro and threw this idea out to him about hosting a golf tournament there. He was all for it and we made it happen." e 14-team field featured nine teams ranked in the top 100 of the Golfstat Division I women's golf rankings, including Wisconsin (49), Washington (52), New Mexico State (54), Idaho (61), Coastal Carolina (67), Ole Miss (69), Iowa (80), UTSA (84), and Kennesaw State (90). "Mike brought the idea, because he was thinking about doing it at his previous school," Iowa head coach Megan Menzel said. "We thought it was a great opportunity this time of year to get out in some fabulous weather. is is a championship golf course, so we knew it would be a good place to host." Washington claimed the team title, carding a nine-over-par 873 in the three-day tournament. Four Hawkeyes notched top 35 finishes, including freshman Sophie Liu (T-24; +7; 223), juniors Morgan Kukla (T-28; +9 225) and Jessica Ip (T-31; +10; 226), and senior Jessie Sindlinger (T-35; +11; 227). "We were grateful to be in a place like Puerto Vallarta with such a competitive environment," said Menzel. "e hospitality was wonderful, which made being here even better." e team arrived in Mexico on Friday aernoon and enjoyed dinner by the ocean before getting a good night's sleep prior to Saturday's practice round. e next three days included yoga on the beach in the morning and a round of golf in the aernoon, before heading back to the resort for team dinners. e Hawkeyes also had the opportunity to experience a bit of Mexican culture at the resort's Fiesta Night on Monday. e night featured traditional food, live music, locally-made artifacts, and dancing. "It was a fun experience," said senior Jessie Sindlinger. "e course was nice, the people were friendly, and it was absolutely beautiful there." With the inaugural Hawkeye-El Tigre Invitational in the books, the Hawkeyes are already prepping for next year's event. "We would love to make this a yearly event," said Roters. "We have already started working on the details for next year, and team's that came this year have already told me they are excited to come back." e Hawkeyes will have two weeks off before heading to the Big Ten Championships set frolm April 21-23 in Cincinnati, Ohio. APRIL SCHEDULE April 21-23 at Big Ten Championships May 15-17 at NCAA Regionals