Progress is progress, and this is great progress.
Seattle Pacific University’s women’s golf team competed in the Southern Colorado Classic on Sunday, March 23, and Monday, March 24, in Pueblo, Colorado, at the Walking Stick Golf Resort.
The Falcons return home with a top-10 finish in ninth place, their second in as many weeks after a seventh-place finish at the Southwest Minnesota State University Classic on March 18.
All seven of the team’s roster competed in the event: sophomore Zoe Garcia, junior Brigitte Fenton, freshman Natalie Eklund, Sophie Stamatis, freshman Anika Schau, Sara Rhodes and Hannah Hochsprung.
Garcia and Eklund were the Falcons’ top golfers, placing 14th and 34th, respectively, on the individual leaderboard.
Although Garcia dropped from eighth place from day one to day two, she shot a team-best total of 74 in the first round, hitting 35 on the front nine holes and 39 on the back nine. She hit three birdies on the front half, one on a par five and two on par fours, finishing the first nine under par.
Eklund moved up from 41st place on day one. She opened her first round with a birdie on the par-four first hole and completed the front nine in 39 and the back in 41, scoring 80.
Rhodes and Fenton were the next-best of SPU after Garcia on day one, scoring 76 and 77, respectively. Rhodes shot 40 on the front nine and 36 on the back, including three birdies on two par fours and a par five. Fenton hit 36 and 41, hitting two birdies on par-four and par-five holes.
Stamatis scored 81 (39 on the front and 42 on the back), including three birdies on par fives. Schau shot 83 (40 on the front and 43 on the back), hitting one birdie on a par five. Hochsprung only had one birdie on a par five, hitting 39 on the front nine and 50 on the back, totaling 89.
At the end of the first round, Seattle Pacific was tied with Fort Lewis College for eighth place.
Eklund was the top Falcon in round two, shooting 40 and 38 for a total of 78 and one birdie on the final par-four hole. Fenton’s score of 81 (41 and 40 between the two halves of the course) tied her with Eklund for 34th.
Garcia shot 79 (40 on the front and 39 on the back), including one birdie on a par five.
Stamatis placed 55th. She shot 44 on the front nine and 41 on the back with one birdie on a par five, totaling 85. Schau shot 86 (42 on the front nine and 44 on the back) and placed 57th overall. She made one birdie on a par five.
Rhodes and Hochsprung each shot 43 on the front and 40 on the back, scoring 83; however, Rhodes placed 37th, and Hochsprung placed 63rd. Hochsprung was the only one of the pair to shoot a birdie in the second round, hitting one on a par three.
Seattle Pacific ended the tournament with 635 total strokes and 59 points, 24 from round one and 35 from round two.
Upcoming:
The Falcons are heading to the GNAC Championships on Monday, April 21, and Tuesday, April 22, on the CDA Resort Golf Course in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.
Seattle Pacific will tee up against Montana State University Billings, Northwest Nazarene University, Simon Fraser University, Saint Martin’s University and Western Washington University.
