Athletes claim homecourt advantage makes a big difference in baseball, football and basketball. But golf, too?

The IU women's golf team will host the Indiana Invitational Saturday and Sunday at the IU Golf Course, and the team is hoping its home course will be an added advantage.

The course will play hard, the competition will be fierce, and the Hoosiers will be ready.

Coming off their fourth victory of the season March 23-24 at the River Wilderness Invitational, the Hoosiers are looking to continue their winning ways against some of their biggest competition.

The only Big Ten team that will be absent is Penn State University. Other schools in the field are Illinois State, Northern Illinois, Notre Dame, Southern Illinois and Ohio.

Although beating other Big Ten schools is always nice, the Hoosiers' main rivalry for this tournament is with Ohio State. The Buckeyes took first place last year, and IU is out for blood.

"We didn't win this tournament last year, and nobody was happy about it," junior Erin Carney said. "We want to keep the hardware here this year."

Junior Michelle Hatfield is another confident Hoosier She is still on a high note after her first-ever collegiate tournament victory. Hatfield recently shot her lowest score ever at the IU course.

"It gives me added confidence because I've never had any solid rounds here before," she said.

Playing well on their home course is the Hoosiers' main focus. Coach Sam Carmichael said knowledge of a course can win a tournament for a team.

"Playing a course all the time makes a big difference," he said. "Just knowing where to put your ball and where not to."

Junior Jennifer Seger said she is also hoping the course will make the difference. But Seger is cautious and quick to point out there is more required to win a tournament.

"We know the way the putts break, and hopefully it will make a difference," she said. "But we still have to play well."

Carmichael is not worried about his players being ready to play.

"We're all playing well, and we're excited about playing," Carmichael said.

"There's no need to fire them up."