By: Aaron Richardson
SFU’S women’s golf team just finished the opening tournament of the 2017–18 season. The Skyhawks West Regional Preview in Durango, Colorado began on September 18, and finished late afternoon the day after. The team ended the first day in eighth out of the 20 teams playing, but tied with Roger’s State University for fifth with a score of 611 — 43 above par —by the end of Tuesday, September 19.
Emily Leung, SFU’s top finisher at the tournament, hit a score of 73 —just two above par —on the first day, and 74 on the second, placing her in the top 10 for both days.
Shooting a 72 which tied for fifth place on the second day — SFU’s best score of the day — Estee Leung shot 38 spots up the roster finishing 30th overall. This being her first semester at SFU, this performance shows great promise for Estee, Emily’s younger sister.
Jaya Rampuri was next in line with a 77 for the first day, and a 78 for the second, finishing tied for 40th. Not far behind was Michelle Waters. Finishing the first day with a 77, and the second with a 79, she ended with a tie at 43rd. Rounding off the team was Laura Jones, who tied for 73rd overall with scores of 80 and 81.
The first day began and ended well, with head coach Matthew Steinbach saying, “I was happy with the way they played today, that said, they’re capable of more and I expect more from them.”
Michelle Waters, the team captain, expressed her satisfaction with the team’s performance at the tournament. “Everyone fought hard out there to post the numbers they did and it’s an excellent starting point — we all know what we need to work on now, so I’m excited to see what we can do this year.”
The tournament ended with Dallas Baptist University (DBU) in first. DBU gained a lead on Monday with 15 shots between them and West Texas A&M in second. On Tuesday, their team kept the lead and took home first with a total score of 586, just 18 above par.
The next competition ahead for SFU’s women’s golf team isn’t far away. On September 21, they will be attending the Northwest Shootout in Tacoma, Washington. Hopefully the girls will perform just as terrifically as they did at the Skyhawks West Regional Preview.
