Cougs Conclude Sunflower Invitational – Washington State University Athletics

LAWRENCE, Kan. – Sophomore Madelyn Gamble collected her second top-20 finish of the season to lead the way for the Washington State women’s golf team at the 2022 Marilynn Smith Sunflower Invitational. Gamble carded 13-over; 193 to finish in a tie for 20th on the player leaderboard.

Washington State had to battle hard harsh weather conditions in the Midwest all week. The tournament’s third round was cut short to nine holes due to weather. WSU concluded its stay in Kansas in a tie for 10th on the team leaderboard. The Cougars carded 72-over; 792 as a team through 45 holes of play. 

“Weather this week was a huge factor in our performance as we had cold temperatures in the 30’s combined with 15 mph winds at times,” WSU Women’s Golf Head Coach Sofie Aagard said. “Our ball striking was not good this week and with the wind, it became a challenge as balls with a lot of side spin cost us some shots.”

WSU shaved eight strokes off its team score in the second round., as the Cougars shot 24-over; 312 during round two. The third round proved to be the best for the Cougars as they shot 16-over; 160 during their nine holes of play.

“Our shots got better with each round we played as we learned more about how to handle the elements and better select shots that the situation called for,” said Aagard. 

Gamble led the way for the Cougars throughout all three rounds after she finished 1-over; 73 in the second round and 5-over 41 in the final round. Senior Darcy Habgood shot 3-over; 39 in her final 9-holes to conclude the tournament 21-over; 201 for 60th place on the player leaderboard. 

Two Cougars made their WSU debut as freshmen Emiko Sverduk and Hannah Harrison opened play at the Lawrence Country Club, Monday. Sverduk finished in a tie for 36th after she carded 17-over; 197 in the three-round tournament. Harrison took a tie for 62nd after she finished 23; over; 204. 

Sophomore Emily Cadwell also made her season debut at the Sunflower Invitational and finished in a tie for 67th after she shot 24-over; 204. 

Next up, WSU will head to Kailua-Kona, Hawai’i for the Pac-12 preview on Oct. 31- Nov. 2.  Check back with WSUCougars.com for a full tournament preview.

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