Cougs sit in a tie for sixth at the end of the first round at the PING ASU Invitational

PHOENIX – The Washington State women’s golf team had a strong start at the 2023 PING ASU Invitational Friday, March 24, as the Cougars had two golfers finish the first round of play inside the top 10 on the player leaderboard to help WSU conclude the round in a tie for sixth on the team leaderboard.

Sophomore Madelyn Gamble and fifth-year senior Darcy Habgood led the way for the Cougars through the first 18 holes of play at the PING ASU Invitational, as each golfer finished the day inside the top 10. Gamble shot a season-best 2-under; 70 in the first round to finish play in a tie for sixth place, meanwhile Habgood was one stroke at 1-under; 71 to end the day in a tie for eighth place. Each WSU golfer collected 12 par shots in the first round, while Habgood led the field in par-3 scoring at 2-under.

As a team, Washington State ended its first day at the 2023 PING ASU Invitational at 7-over; 295. WSU will begin Saturday’s second round in a five-way tie for sixth place with No. 11 Arizona State, No. 39 California, Colorado, and Oregon State.

Freshman Emiko Sverduk and sophomore Sarah Skovgaard-Bils each shot 5-over; 77 to end the tournament’s first round in a tie for 55th. Freshman Lily McCauley finished one stroke behind Sverduk and Skovgaard-Bils, as she sits in a tie for 60th after 18 holes of play.

No. 23-ranked Northwestern sits atop the team leaderboard at the end of the first round, as the Wildcats carded 6-under; 282. Northwestern opens Saturday’s second round with an eight-stroke lead over No. 14 Baylor. Julia Lopez Ramirez from Mississippi State ends the first round with a one-stroke lead over Northwestern’s Kelly Sim and Texas’ Huai-Chien Hsu for first on the player leaderboard after shooting 5-under 67 in the opening round.

The second round of the 2023 PING ASU Invitational begins this Saturday, March 25, at the Papago Golf Course. The second round begins at 8 a.m. PT and fans can follow all the action at GolfStat.com.

For more information on the Washington State women’s golf team, follow @WSUCougarWGolf on Twitter and Facebook and @WSUWomensGolf on Instagram.