The Cowgirls shot their way to a 12th place finish earlier this week at the eighth annual Wyoming Cowgirl Classic in Maricopa, Ariz. as they completed their regular season competitions.
Ending the first round in 13th place, Wyoming held three different positions during each round of play at the Ak-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club.
Sophomore Emily Woodard and senior Stacey Blunt led the Cowgirls to a 936 (+72) finish.
Woodard knocked one stroke off each individual score as she played through the three-round tournament, ending the classic tied for 35th after shooting 231 (+15). The sophomore enjoyed good company in her ranking; Blunt shot an identical total score also placing her in the 35th position.
“It was great to see Emily keep improving on a tough course that demands all aspects of the game,” said Wyoming head coach Josey Stender.
Starting off two strokes behind Woodard, Blunt secured her top-40 finish after shooting 80 (+8), 76 (+4) and 75 (+3) in the three rounds.
Each member of the team handled the 320-acre, links-land course well with every golfer finishing in the top-100 and three placing in the top-50.
“I’m proud of the girls and their effort from top to bottom,” said Stender. “We came out strong and positive and maintained throughout the day.”
Competing in her first spring-season competition, freshman Mackenzie Barrie finished four places and one stroke behind Woodard and Blunt, as she shot a career-low 75 (+3) in the third round to bring her total score to 232 (+16).
Adding eight strokes to her previous competition score, senior Emily Wood played uncharacteristically, shooting 241 (+25), her second highest score this season. Wood finished in 74th place out of the 108-player field. Wood’s performance struggled in the second round, where she shot a season-high 88 (+16), but she recovered in the final round, shaving 13 strokes from the previous round for a score of 75 (+3).
New Mexico State finished in first place after holding the position during each round of the competition. The Aggies final 887 (+23) score was the result of finishing each round below 300 strokes, a feat no other team accomplished.
They finished nine strokes ahead of second-place Santa Clara University. while the Broncos recorded a final score of 896 (+32).
The classic produced three first-place golfers. New Mexico State’s Camille Orito, Boise State’s Samantha Martin and Santa Clara’s Annie Freman all concluded play one under par with a score of 251. A tiebreaker gave Feman the individual honors.
The Cowgirls will head to Rancho Mirage, Calif. on Thursday, April 24 for the Mountain West Championship.
