Buffs Finish 13th At PING/ASU Invitational

PHOENIX — Sophomore Natalie Vo shot her best 54-hole score as a collegian to lead the University of Colorado women’s golf team to a 13^th place finish at the 2023 PING/ASU Invitational Sunday at the Papago Golf Course.
 
The Buffaloes finished at 28-over-par, 892, one stroke behind Pac-12 Conference rival Washington. Colorado shot 7-over, 295, on Sunday, matching its best 18-hole score of the spring season first recorded in Friday’s opening round.
 
Vo tied for 15^th place overall shooting 2-over-par, 218. It was her second career top 15 finish and eclipsed her previous best 54-hole total by one stroke.
 
No. 23 Northwestern ran away with the team title at 18-under, 846, 14 strokes better than host and No. 11 ranked Arizona State. No. 14 Baylor was third at 3-over, 867, followed by No. 6 Mississippi State (868) and No. 8 Texas (870).
 
“We had some good rounds today and felt we made some progress at this tournament,” Colorado head coach Anne Kelly said. “We aren’t happy with finishing 13^th, but it was a very strong field.”
 
Vo was 2-over on the day. She was 1-under through 11 holes, thanks to birdies on a pair of par 4s at No. 12 and No. 14, but dropped four strokes over a four-hole span on the front. She rebounded to par the next two holes and clinched her 54-hole best with a birdie on her final hole, the 512-yard, par 5 No. 9.
 
Freshman Morgan Miller tied for 38^th at 6-over, 222. Miller had Colorado’s best overall third round, shooting even-par 72 for the second time in three rounds. She had bogey on her first hole at No. 10, but bounced back immediately with a birdie on the short 146-yard, par 3, No. 11. From there, Miller was 2-under over the next 10 holes, netting birdies at the par 4s at No. 14 and No. 2. She dropped back down to even with bogeys at No. 5 and No. 9.
 
Senior Issy Simpson tied for 63^rd at 12-over, 228. She had her best of three rounds on Sunday at 1-over, 73. Simpson was 2-over on the back but logged birdies at the 532-yard, par 5, No. 1 and 378-yard, par 4, No. 7 to clinch her second-best round of the year.
 
Sophomore Lauren Gooding and graduate senior Haylin Harris were among a group of eight players tying for 70^th overall at 13-over, 229. Gooding had the better of two third rounds, shooting 4-over, 76 on Sunday. Harris finished 5-over, 77, in the final round.
 
“Natalie…