The women’s golf team finished in 12th place at the Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown on Wednesday.
The first day the Cougars struggled and were in 15th place but the Cougars came alive the second day and finished 11th. The last day of the tournament was full of strong winds, which affected the day’s outcomes, but BYU was able to finish 12th by shooting 54-over par throughout the three rounds.
The tournament was comprised of 16 teams and three rounds over the three days.
No. 21 UC Davis won the tournament, shooting 14-over par. San Diego State finished second, shooting 20-over. The tournament consisted of other nationally ranked teams, including No. 18 Oklahoma, who finished fourth at 26-over.
BYU head coach Carrie Roberts is impressed with how her team played through strong winds and its determination to play well.
“The wind was gusting at incredible speeds,” Roberts said. “That type of wind is super rare and even more difficult to play in. It was mentally exhausting but the girls kept working hard.”
According to junior Maggie Yuan, the team has been improving throughout the season and this tournament was a confidence boost.
“It was really exciting to see your scoring average go down,” Yuan said. “It was a confidence boost to shoot low scores and we keep improving throughout the season.”
Yuan once again was the top scorer for the Cougars. Yuan finished sxith overall and shot 2-over par. Yuan consistently improved throughout the tournament. She finished the first day in 25th, the second day in 15th and had a solid final round to move her into sixth.
Yuan said she is happy with how she played in this tournament.
“This tournament was great,” Yuan said. “I finished very strong and tried to play my best.”
Yuan also is proud of how her team performed at this tournament and had a focused mentality.
“Our team played well despite the wind,” Yuan said. “It was hard to hit every shot but we focused and did well. I am proud of my team.”
The second-best golfer for the Cougars was freshman Lauren Atkinson, who shot a team-best score of 71 in the second round. She finished 63rd overall.
The other Cougar golfers were senior Ashley Malaska, sophomore Amanda Keith and freshman Maria Yacaman.
The team will next compete at the Rainbow Wahine Invitational in Hawaii on Nov. 1.
