Senior Darcy Habgood begins the WSU women’s golf spring season off strong, placing top four in one of their two tournaments. The Cougs competed at the San Diego State Classic and The Show competitions.

San Diego State Classic Feb. 13–14

The WSU women’s golf team teed off their spring season in the San Diego State Classic Golf Tournament. Of the 12 schools competing, the Cougs finished in eighth place. 

Oregon State University and University of Colorado — familiar Pac-12 schools — joined WSU in the tournament. While Oregon State University finished sixth, golfing a 924, University of Colorado struggled, coming in last place and finishing with an overall score of 958.

WSU’s Habgood was impressive, tying for fourth place with University of Denver’s Anna Zanusso. Habgood golfed an overall 221 with the second of three rounds being her best. 

Another notable performance for WSU came from sophomore Madelyn Gamble. Gamble golfed a 228 with a score of 76 in each of her rounds. She tied for 11th place with Annie Kim from University of Houston and Veronica Joels from University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Sofie Aagaard, WSU women’s golf head coach, said the course was challenging from the start with great green complexes and narrow tee shots. It softened up after some overnight rain on Monday, with showers during the final round.

“The team adjusted well and used their skills throughout the event. We still had shots get away from us when the gusty winds affected ball flight, but overall we come home better than when we arrived in San Diego,” Aagaard said in a WSU Athletics interview.

The Show Feb. 20–21

The WSU women’s golf team competed in The Show, hosted by UNLV in Las Vegas. The Cougs struggled in the tournament, finishing in last place out of 15 teams.

WSU was the only Pac-12 school to play in the tournament. Some other notable universities that participated in The Show were Purdue, Pepperdine and Mississippi State.

Freshman Emiko Sverduk was the Cougs’ best performer during the tournament, golfing a 228 and finishing in 59th place. Right behind her was Gamble, ending with 229 strokes. Gamble finished the competition in a four-way tie for 60th place.

“This was not a good week for the Cougs in Vegas. We struggled with approach shots, hitting off the dormant and sandy Bermuda fairways and didn’t adjust well to the green speed throughout the rounds we played,” Aagaard said in a WSU Athletics interview.

The Cougs will have some time off before jumping back into action March 6–7 for the Juli Inkster at Meadow Club Invitational hosted in Fairfax, California at the Meadow Club Golf Course.