Fall Schedule Continues At Jim West Challenge

BOULDER – After a couple of weeks off, the University of Colorado’s women’s golf team continues the fall schedule at the Jim West Challenge, Oct. 23-24, at the Kissing Tree Golf Club in San Marcos, Texas.

“We are excited about the Texas State event,” Colorado head coach Anne Kelly said. “It is our first time playing in the tournament, but we have heard very good things about the tournament and the golf course.”

This is the Buffaloes’ fourth tournament of the fall season and they are one of 15 teams competing at one of the premier collegiate golf tournaments in the nation with a field that includes No. 21 (GolfStat) SMU, No. 25 Houston, Ohio State, Oklahoma, and TCU.

“It has been nice to have a couple of weeks at home between tournaments,” Kelly said. “Each player has different areas that they can improve on, but overall, we have been emphasizing wedge play and shots into the greens.”

The Jim West Challenge will consist of 54 holes with the first 36 coming on Sunday. The Kissing Tree Golf Club will play as a par 72, with a length of 6,163 yards.

Sophomore Natalie Vo, who had the best finish of her collegiate career at the Barbara Nicklaus Cup (Oct. 3-4) tying for 14^th, is among the five Colorado golfers traveling to San Marcos, joining Lauren Gooding, Issy Simpson, Haylin Harris, and Morgan Miller.

“I am really excited to get out there and see what we can do since we have had a short break to work on and improve our game,” Vo said. “I have been working on my wedge game and short game in general since there is never too much practice in those areas.”

Gooding and Vo have played in all three tournaments and have Colorado’s best scoring averages of those Buffaloes playing all nine rounds. Both average right around 4-over per round, with those numbers slightly skewed after playing on the ultra-tough Muirfield Village Golf Course at the Barbara Nicklaus Cup.

“Lauren Gooding continues to make very good progress as well as Natalie Vo. They have probably been the most consistent players for us,” Kelly said.

Miller, a true freshman from Cedar Park, Texas, heads to her home state for her fourth start of the season. Miller has Colorado’s top overall finish of the season placing 9th in the Golfweek Red Sky Challenge (Sept. 26-28) for her first collegiate top 10 finish.

“Freshman Morgan Miller is showing very good signs as a…