Tuesday, October 6
Sahalee CC; Redmond, WA
All Day
University of San Francisco
at
Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational
Vanessa Ha is coming off a win at the Rose City Collegiate.
Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational Preview
10/5/2015 5:38:00 AM | Women's Golf
Coming off a first place finish at the Rose City Collegiate last week, the Dons return to the Pacific Northwest for the Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational which gets underway on Tuesday at the Sahalee Golf Club outside of Seattle.
USF joins a 12-team field made up of California, Colorado, Hawaii, Gonzaga, Kansas State, Oregon State, Seattle, TCU, Pepperdine, San Diego State and host Washington. The Huskies are ranked 14th by Golfweek while Colorado checks in at No. 15. The Dons will get their first look at WCC rivals Gonzaga and 14-time defending conference champion Pepperdine.
USF is expected to start the same lineup that propelled the team to a record-setting performance at the Rose City Collegiate, where USF posted a 7-over score of 871 to win the team title by two strokes over Oregon State. Sophomore Vanessa Ha, who won the Rose City individual title with a 6-under score of 210, seniors Emelie Lundstrom and Clare Sorensen, junior Ayaka Suzuki along with freshman Mabel Wong are slated to make the trip to Seattle.
The Dons tied for sixth in last year's Edean Ihlanfedt Invitational, which was shortened to 36 holes due to rain.
Head coach Sarah Glynn is looking forward to seeing how her team performs against a strong field on a big-time golf course.
"We're off to a good start and hopefully we've built up a little confidence needed to compete against some top teams. The message has been 'until the last putt drops.' It has everything to do with mental toughness and finishing off our rounds. We finished extremely well in Portland and the results showed."
The Dons erased a five-shot back nine deficit to overtake Oregon State and Fresno State to capture the Rose City Collegiate title, the team's first tournament victory since the 2013 Hobble Creek Invitational.
The Dons have received contributions up and down the lineup in their first two tournaments, which netted a fourth and first place finishes. After advancing to the round of 32 at the U.S. Women's Amateur in August, Ha is quickly establishing herself as one of the top young players on the west coast. Her win at the Rose City Collegiate was her first collegiate victory and third top-10 finish in her 13 career events.
"Vanessa has taken her game and preparation to a new level," said Glynn. "She is buying into the process of what it takes to become a great player. She is focused and present and it has certainly shown in her play."
Not to be lost in the double titles at Rose City was the play of Suzuki, who took a three shot lead into the final round before settling for a third place finish following a final round 75. Though her 2-under total of 214 left the junior four strokes behind Ha, her steady evan par play on the backside was instrumental in helping the team secure a narrow victory over Oregon State.
Wong, a freshman who played No. 1 in the lineup at Rose City, has carded two rounds of par or better over her first two events. She tied for 14th in Portland with a 5-over score of 221.
It will be a long week of golf for the Dons, who will travel to Denver immediately following the Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational to compete at the Ron Moore Collegiate next weekend at the Hale Irwin-designed Highlands Ranch Golf Club in Littleton, Colo.
USF joins a 12-team field made up of California, Colorado, Hawaii, Gonzaga, Kansas State, Oregon State, Seattle, TCU, Pepperdine, San Diego State and host Washington. The Huskies are ranked 14th by Golfweek while Colorado checks in at No. 15. The Dons will get their first look at WCC rivals Gonzaga and 14-time defending conference champion Pepperdine.
USF is expected to start the same lineup that propelled the team to a record-setting performance at the Rose City Collegiate, where USF posted a 7-over score of 871 to win the team title by two strokes over Oregon State. Sophomore Vanessa Ha, who won the Rose City individual title with a 6-under score of 210, seniors Emelie Lundstrom and Clare Sorensen, junior Ayaka Suzuki along with freshman Mabel Wong are slated to make the trip to Seattle.
The Dons tied for sixth in last year's Edean Ihlanfedt Invitational, which was shortened to 36 holes due to rain.
Head coach Sarah Glynn is looking forward to seeing how her team performs against a strong field on a big-time golf course.
"We're off to a good start and hopefully we've built up a little confidence needed to compete against some top teams. The message has been 'until the last putt drops.' It has everything to do with mental toughness and finishing off our rounds. We finished extremely well in Portland and the results showed."
The Dons erased a five-shot back nine deficit to overtake Oregon State and Fresno State to capture the Rose City Collegiate title, the team's first tournament victory since the 2013 Hobble Creek Invitational.
The Dons have received contributions up and down the lineup in their first two tournaments, which netted a fourth and first place finishes. After advancing to the round of 32 at the U.S. Women's Amateur in August, Ha is quickly establishing herself as one of the top young players on the west coast. Her win at the Rose City Collegiate was her first collegiate victory and third top-10 finish in her 13 career events.
"Vanessa has taken her game and preparation to a new level," said Glynn. "She is buying into the process of what it takes to become a great player. She is focused and present and it has certainly shown in her play."
Not to be lost in the double titles at Rose City was the play of Suzuki, who took a three shot lead into the final round before settling for a third place finish following a final round 75. Though her 2-under total of 214 left the junior four strokes behind Ha, her steady evan par play on the backside was instrumental in helping the team secure a narrow victory over Oregon State.
Wong, a freshman who played No. 1 in the lineup at Rose City, has carded two rounds of par or better over her first two events. She tied for 14th in Portland with a 5-over score of 221.
It will be a long week of golf for the Dons, who will travel to Denver immediately following the Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational to compete at the Ron Moore Collegiate next weekend at the Hale Irwin-designed Highlands Ranch Golf Club in Littleton, Colo.
Players Mentioned
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/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
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