Western’s women’s golf team finished in fourth place along with two other teams in Hurricane, Utah during the Dixie State University Golf Invitational Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 5 and 6. The team finished 46-over-par, 622, tied with California State University and California Baptist University, beating out seven other teams. Point Loma took home the first place title, with 33-over-par, 609. Second place was given to Sonoma State with a total of 619, and California State Monterey Bay took third with 621. “We beat some good teams, and that will benefit us,” head coach Bo Stephan said in a press release on the Western Athletics page. Sophomore Jenn Paul was the team’s top finisher and left the tournament tied for ninth place with 8-over-par, 152. Paul is a Bellingham native and was previously named Great Northwest Athletic Conference co-Player of the Year, and Freshman of the Year. Junior, Audrey Orem, thinks that they could have played better since they won the tournament last year. “We definitely went in trying to repeat our title,” Orem said. The course was different from last year, so they had to start fresh, Orem said. "It was a challenging course," Stephan said. "It was much tougher than what we faced in Phoenix two weeks ago." The course they played is ranked among the top must-play courses in Utah, according to the website 24 Salt Lake. The site states that the course contours through threatening ridgelines and ancient red rock outcroppings. The team all commented on how beautiful it was, but at the same time strenuous. “You have these golf holes where you’re on the side of a cliff and all rocks around you are bright red,” said junior Brooke Branigan. “The scenery kind of made it worth it,” said freshman Stephanie Sewell. The women’s team has been competing in back-to-back tournaments since late September and will finish out the fall season at the end of this month. “We play four events and it’s kind of all crammed into a six week period,” Stephan said. Sewell is proud of her accomplishments and is striving to further her skills. “I love how [in golf] there’s always room for improvement, so it never gets boring that way,” said Sewell. The team still has two tournaments left, and will be hosting the next tournament on Monday and Tuesday, Oct. 12 and 13 at the Bellingham Golf and Country Club. The women’s team plans on winning this tournament since it’s at their home course where they have all played multiple times. “Our team is prepped really well, and we have six solid players,” said Branigan. “We have a lot of background knowledge of the course and I definitely think we can win it,” said Orem.
