University of Wisconsin women’s golf teed it up at the MountainView Collegiate from March 2-4, a three day, three round event co-hosted by the Kansas State and Missouri women’s golf teams. This event boasted an incredibly strong field with programs like No. 13 TCU, No. 18 Arizona, No. 30 Kansas State and No. 34 Oklahoma, among others.
Wisconsin brought much the same roster as they did for the Westbrook Invitiational, which the team placed fourth at and seniors Vanessa Ho, Chloe Chan and Carly Carter finished int the top 25. The Badgers also brought freshman Izzi Stricker, who finished T36 at the Westbrook and sophomore Kate Brody – who gets her first chance to be in the lineup this spring season. Sophomore Ava Salay also competed as an individual in this tournament, coming off placing 55th at the Westbrook.
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The Badgers maintained their momentum, securing fifth place out of 14 teams, with three golfers — Ho, Chan and Carter — finishing in the top 25 for the second consecutive event.
The individual winner, Carla Bernat (Kansas St), who is No. 34 in the country, shot in red figures all three rounds, posting an 11 under score for the tournament. Even more impressive is the fact that her 11 under tournament score happened in an event where every single team in the field shot over par. Only two other players shot under par for the event – Audrey Rischer (Oklahoma, No. 226 nationally) and Camille Min-Gaultier (TCU, No. 66 nationally).
Through the first nine of the first round, Wisconsin found themselves returning to the top four, as Ho, Chan and Carter all played their first nine holes one under par. But, the back nine played much more difficult for the whole field, as the Badgers fell from two under through nine, as a team, to two over through 18.
Still, they held their spot at fourth, tied with five other schools for that position. The freshman, Stricker, and the senior, Chan, lead the way shooting ever par 72s, placing them both at 21st amongst players. Ho and Carter both carded one over 73s, good for 26th amongst players. Brody’s score was scratched at three over, and Salay shot five over as an individual.
Round two was brutal for every golfer on the course. Wind gusts reached upwards of almost 40 mph in the afternoon and every single school shot over par – the low team score being four over par, from No. 18 Arizona – who led after two rounds. Wisconsin weathered the storm, shooting 11 over as a team, which kept them within the top five at fifth place.
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Ho shot the low score for Wisconsin at two over, leaving her three over through the first two rounds and in ninth place. Chan shot five over after going even on Sunday, which still left her in 19th. Stricker, who placed 24th after two rounds and Carter, who sat 36th, both carded six over 78s, moving three and 10 spots down the leaderboard, respectively. Brody’s score was scratched after shooting a nine over 81, and Salay shot 14 over competing as an individual.
The Badgers held firm in the final round on March 4, going nine over as a team, staying, and finishing, in fifth place. Carter had the low round of Tuesday, as she shot a one over 73 to move up and finish at 23rd. Ho and Chan both shot two over, dropping Ho out of the top ten for an 11th place finish, and keeping Chan at 19th. Stricker shot a four over 76, dropping out of the top 25 for a 30th place finish. Brody’s score was scratched as she shot nine over, finishing 67th. Lastly, Salay went six over, finishing the tournament 25 over as she placed 71st.
This marks back to back events where the Badgers had three golfers within the top 25 and the team finished within the top five. The team has a break until March 28, when they tee it back up as they compete in the Chattanooga Classic. That event will be the second to last of the regular season, before the Big Ten Championships for Women’s Golf, taking place from April 18-20 in Baltimore, Maryland, roll around. The Badgers have put together a really strong campaign so far, as they look to keep it rolling.