The Gophers women’s golf team spent the weekend at Fox Chapel Golf Club in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where they finished ninth overall in the Big Ten Tournament.
Course challenges and weather conditions proved to be the biggest hurdles for the Gophers.
April 21
The Gophers finished round one of the tournament on Friday tied for ninth, shooting 301 as a team. Freshman Isabella McCauley posted a team-best 71 and finished the day in the top 10 individually.
McCauley started off with six pars and three birdies on the front nine holes. She finished her day tied for seventh, carding an even-par 71 and just two shots off the lead.
Junior Grace Curran had 10 pars alongside two birdies on her way to shooting a 76. The senior was tied for 33rd heading into round two.
Emma Carpenter improved by four shots between nines on Friday. She penciled in an 83 and tied for 78th individually.
The course proved to be a challenge to all teams as none scored under par.
“As the overall scores show, the course played difficult as it should for a championship,” Gophers head coach Rhyll Brinsmead said in a press release. “We know we need to be more disciplined tomorrow and make choices off the tee that will set us up for success.”
April 22
The course continued to serve as a challenge on day two of the tournament with added moisture from rainfall earlier in the day.
McCauley shot a team-best, 74, helping lead the Gophers to a team score of 303 and now a two-day total of 604. She earned her highest career individual finish in a tie for second after shooting a 68 to move forward six places in the rankings.
Luisamariana Mesones improved by two strokes between rounds one and two, carding a 75. Mesones moved forward four places and tied for 39th at the end of day two.
Carpenter shed off six strokes on day two, tallying nine pars and two birdies. Her 77 put her in a tie for 78th.
Leah Herzog notched 12 pars on her way to shooting another 77. She was tied for 47th heading into the final round.
April 23
The Gophers moved up four places into ninth on the final day of the tournament, shooting a team tournament-best 298 and a three-day total of 902.
McCauley earned her highest career finish in a tie for second after shooting a 68 to move forward six places in the rankings. The freshman carded 71-74-68=213 over the three days.
“Bella’s game this week was remarkable and this feat for a freshman is amazing,” Brinsmead said.
Curran shot her best round of the tournament on Sunday with a 2-over-par 73. She notched 29 pars and six birdies across the tournament, scoring 76-81-73=230
Herzog finished her final Big Ten Championship in a tie for 65th, alongside teammate Junrui Chi. Herzog totaled 34 pars, which tied for 12th.
Chi showed improvement from the first two days and rolled home six pars and four birdies in her final 18.
Brinsmead said the team will wait to see if they have earned a postseason bid. Barring final rankings, the NCAA regionals are set for May 8-10.