Idaho women’s golf took second place at the Big Sky Championship over the weekend when it traveled to Boulder City, Nevada, to play at the Boulder Creek Golf Club.
Idaho finished with 867 points, losing only to the Sacramento State Hornets who finished in first place with 887 points.
The lineup consisted of senior Sophie Hausmann, senior Michelle Kim, junior Danika Palm, sophomore Valeria Patino and freshman Vicky Tsai.
During the opening round, the Vandals shot consistently across the board with three players finishing in the top 25.
Patino and Kim both carded 1-over 73, putting them both in a tie for 11th place individually.
Hausmann was just one stroke behind with a 2-over 74 and Tsai just two strokes behind her with a 4-over 76.
Idaho finished the day in fifth place, just six strokes back from the tournament favorite Sacramento State in first place.
The second round showed higher scores across the board for all teams due to heavy winds, but the Vandals fought hard to not let the weather affect them too much.
Patino and Hausmann shot 3-over 75 bringing their total strokes to 4-over 148 (73-75) and 5-over 149 (74-75) respectively.
Patino sat tied for 10th place individually while Hausmann tied for 12th place individually.
Kim shot a 5-over 77 bringing her total to 6-over 150. She sat tied for 14th individually.
Tsai carded an 8-over 80, bringing her to a 12-over 156 overall.
Palm struggled to keep up with the other golfers and sat at 24-over 168 (80-88) after the first two rounds.
“We knew we had to play ourselves into the early-morning twosome because of the weather,” head coach Lisa Johnson said. “We actually played well give the conditions. We fought hard and we will do so again tomorrow.”
Idaho moved up to fourth place after the second, but the tournament leader Sacramento State held its ground leading 16 strokes ahead of the Vandals.
The third round brought a second wind for the Vandals, with the women playing their best round of the tournament.
Tsai led the pack with an impressive 4-under 68, shooting only one bogey and five birdies. She ended the championships in a tie for 16th with an 8-over 224 (76-80-68).
Patino was right behind her with a 3-under 69, carding five birdies but two bogeys. She finished in fourth place individually with a 1-over 217(73-75-69).
Hausmann shot a 1-under 71, carding five birdies and four bogeys, leaving her tied for 11th place individually with a 4-over 220(74-75-71).
Kim shot a 4-over 76 leaving her in a tie for 21st individually with all four counting scorers for Idaho placed in the top 25.
Idaho finished 20 strokes behind Sacramento State’s 867 total at 887(296-307-284).
Hausmann was awarded Big Sky Player of the Year for the second year in a row, with top 25 finishes in every event this season.
Hausmann and Patino were placed on first team denoting the top five golfers in the conference.
Kim was placed on the Big Sky Second Team and Tsai received honorable mention for this year’s conference.
Connor Swersey can be reached at [email protected]