WSU women’s golf struggles in Pac-12 Preview Tournament

Cougars finish closer to first place in terms of points than last

February 24, 2024

Then-freshman Amy Chu refines her driving skills along with teammates Madison Odiorne and Emily Baumgart during a practice session on April 1 at WSU’s practice facility before a tournament this week. Chu says the team practices five days a week, but the athletes are able to use the grounds any time.

WSU women’s golf traveled to the Big Island of Hawaii to compete in the Pac-12 Preview Tournament on Feb. 19–21. The tournament, held at Nanea Golf Club, is a preliminary tournament for Pac-12 schools. Nanea is listed by the golf course ranking website, top100golfcourses.com, as the 75th best golf course in the country. According to golf course reviewer James VanArsdaal, “No two holes are remotely the same. Every hole is a new adventure.”

Nanea is not known for being easy, and unfortunately the Cougars found that out day one of the tournament when they found themselves in ninth place (out of 12) after the first day of competition. Only one golfer, junior Madelyn Gamble, finished with a day one score under par, as she finished with a score of 1 below par. Other highlights from day one included Freshman Alice Johansson eagleing on hole-4, and junior Emily Caldwell leading the team with six birdies.

On day two, the Cougars slipped from ninth overall to tenth overall, despite better individual performances. Gamble again finished under-par and found herself in ninth place overall through two days of competition.

On day three, the final day of competition, the Cougars finished 11th overall. A disappointing finish to their first tournament of 2024, but a result that offers plenty of opportunity for growth. They finished with a score of 38 above par, and round three was their worst day yet when they finished 17 above par. They finished 49 points behind first place UCLA, but were still 59 points ahead of last place Hawaii, meaning the Cougs were closer to first place than last.

Individually, Gamble finished tied for fifteenth overall. After finishing 1-below-par on days one & two, she finished four-over-par on day three, still good for a final score of two-over. Johansson also finished inside the top 40, with a score of 10-over placing her tied for 38th overall. Caldwell finished 44th overall, with a score of 13-over.

The other two team members also managed to finish within the top fifty. Sarah Skofgaard-Bils finished 47th place, with a score of 15-over, and Hannah Harrison was one spot behind her, with a score of 16-over.

While these may not have been the results the Cougars were hoping for, it’s important to remember that it’s still early in the season. The team can still celebrate Gamble’s strong individual performance and will be sure to come out stronger next month. As coach Aagaard says, the team hopes to get “one day better,” every day. They will take the next few weeks to do just that.